The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs, has issued an advisory to the Director Generals of Police and Inspector Generals of Police of all States and Union Territories regarding the training of police personnel on protection of environment and animals.
This development has been welcomed by animal rights activists who believe that if the advisory is followed effectively, the people who approach the police with complaints of crimes against animals would be addressed properly instead of being ignored.
In the advisory issued by BPR&D DIG/Deputy Director GS Chaudhary, the DGPs and IGs have been forwarded a letter received from lok Sabha MP and People for Animals chairperson Maneka Gandhi. The advisory states that the BPR&D is of the view that a 2-3 days module on protection of environment and animals should be included in the basic training for directly appointed sub-inspectors in the States/Union Territories.
The proposed syllabus for the subjects has been attached with the advisory and the officers concerned have been informed that the Animal Welfare Board of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests, may be contacted for resource persons to impart training on these subjects. The principals of the Central Detective Training Schools at Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Ghaziabad have also been directed to organise special workshops on this subject.
Animal Welfare Board of Uttarakhand and PFA Uttarakhand had started training in the critical areas such as Udham Singh Nagar and Narendranagar to sensitise the police about rampant cattle smuggling and wildlife trade in Uttarakhand.
PFA Uttarakhand member secretary Gauri Maulekhi said that she had met the BPR&D director general in this regard. According to Maulekhi, effective implementation of the directions will ensure that police officers are aware of animal welfare laws. "Presently, people go to police stations to report crime against animals but they get ridiculed but we hope this will change soon. Moreover in cases of overloading on draught and pack animals, police can take cognisance and penalise the offenders immediately. Animal crime was never considered a prime mandate for the police, but the BPR&D advisory changes things a bit," she said.