Punjab Police has withdrawn as many 6,355 personnel from non-core duties to create ‘COVID Reserves’ and reinforce its field force at police stations and in the Armed Battalions.
While 202 COVID Reserves have been created in police stations across 22 districts, another 20 have been constituted in the Armed Battalions, to improve operational readiness for enforcement of the various safety norms and protocols in place in the State.
The manpower mobilization exercise was undertaken from July 17, and as of July 23, 3,669 personnel were part of 202 COVID Reserves in districts while 475 were in the COVID Reserves of the Armed Battalions, said the state Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta.
The diversion of force has been done from non-core police duties at District Police Offices, Police Lines, Saanjh Kendras, those attached with Police or Civil officers and threatened persons, and officials on temporary attachment with other units.
“Post the exercise, an additional 1,800 police personnel have been mobilized at the police stations, across the ranks of Constable to Inspector,” said the DGP during the COVID review videoconference (VC) meeting chaired by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
As far as the Armed Battalions are concerned, the additional personnel deployment, in addition to 475 in the COVID Reserves, has been made at Shambhu Barrier (118), Security duty in districts (191) and NGOs of Armed Battalions (102).