Shooting camp exposes chinks in cops’ armour
A.S.R.P. MUKESH

Policemen at the target assessment camp, which ended on Monday. File picture


Ranchi, Nov. 3: The bad news has just got worse. Not only are the majority of Ranchi police officers poor marksmen, their physical fitness is also questionable.

However, a target assessment camp that concluded on Monday did provide a silver lining: among 2,500 havildars and constables, 70 per cent were found to be above average when it came to handling weapons and agility.

What started out as an exercise to measure the marksmanship of its men has turned out to be a major embarrassment for the Ranchi police force, leaving the top brass concerned about its personnel’s preparedness to tackle emergency situations.

The 11-day camp revealed that not only were the majority of senior officers not capable of using sophisticated arms, they were also far from prompt, the latter a direct fallout of poor fitness.

So worried is the top brass now that it has decided to crack the whip on bulging bellies. “Poor physical fitness is the root of all problems and has emerged as a huge concern for the department,” said Sergeant Major Ravinder Kumar Prasad, who managed the camp.

Considering the law and order challenges facing Jharkhand, it is imperative for not only the front line forces but also the top officers to be in sound physical form.

According to Prasad, out of 300 officers of ASI and SI ranks who were assessed, there were hardly any encouraging results.

“Around 30 per cent of the officers were average in target hitting, while the rest were below the mark. Their fitness levels were worse,” Prasad said, adding some of the obviously overweight officers blamed lack of time and work pressure for their low fitness levels.

“Marksmanship can be improved with practice, but fitness is a matter of attitude and self discipline,” he said.

However, not all was bleak. “Out of 2,500 lower rank personnel like havildars and constables, over 70 per cent were above average, a good sign. During any major assault, they are the frontline fighters,” said Prasad, adding that a training module and refresher course will soon be put in place.

Ranchi SSP Praveen Kumar said potbellied officers was a matter of serious concern.

“This is a problem which can be tackled immediately. We will soon chalk out programmes for such officers,” he said, adding that if required the concerned officers would be kept away from work to enable them to concentrate on their physical training.

“Work and physical fitness courses are difficult together. So we will work out some provision wherein officers can be put off duty for a month or two so that they can get back in shape,” he said.