The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi cops train for Commonwealth Games Law & order

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Saturday, Nov 03, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi cops train for Commonwealth Games Law & order

Focus on attitude change, stress management and communication skills, says Devesh K. Pandey

The three-month-long training programme specially designed and conducted on a “trial basis” by three private institutes to groom Delhi Police personnel for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the Capital ended this past week. It was aimed at bringing about attitudinal changes in the policemen and train them in stress management and communication skills. However, many trainees felt that the duration of the course should have been extended to enhance its effectiveness.

About 2,500 policemen ranging from constable to inspector were trained during the programme. After the completion of the course, they were asked to give their feedback on its quality and suggestions for improvement. While a large number of them said the course was good, it is learnt that a general feeling among many was that they would have benefited more from it had they been given more time.

On an average, each policeman was given three-day training. As part of the course, the trainees were confronted with hypothetical situations where men in khaki were shown handling distress calls improperly and then they were educated on how to properly interact with the public to gain their confidence. They were also taught how to communicate in English.

“The course was useful like any other training programme. But this alone is not enough to bring about the expected change overnight. One cannot learn to interact in English in just a day and understand how to manage stress within a few hours,” said a policeman. Short-term courses were not of much consequence in the long run, he added.

As per future plans, over 40,000 policemen engaged in public dealing are to be trained over the next three years to prepare them for various jobs they would be entrusted with during the Commonwealth Games. To chalk out the future course of action, senior Police Training College officers are now analysing the feedback from the trainees. On the basis of the findings, they would decide whether to continue with the same course. A decision is expected within a week.

Though the authorities have ambitious plans to prepare the force for the big occasion, given the paucity of time it does not appear that all the policemen can be covered adequately under the project. Given these circumstances, the authorities would do well to focus on imparting intense training to a limited number of policemen for specific jobs such as deployment at sports venues, airports, bus terminals, railway stations and tourist spots.

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