Whatever it is, the caste system is not fair. In either case, the job consists of sitting around on chairs or benches, with no movement of any kind. As for the minorities, their representation in the nation’s police is still very low — if this is given priority, political correctness will automatically follow. This will also address a major problem with these duties — the utter and complete boredom of having to sit around day after day doing nothing. Thus, a policeman’s work becomes as sedentary as a man pushing a file in a government office.A small final point: the report on policemen’s health is based on tests carried out on constables and others.

There are enough reports in the daily press giving accounts of the rough and biased treatment given to these two groups. But people of the IPS cadre are so preoccupied with their own concerns that they rarely look into the basic problems of their men. Karate could be taught to policemen — this would not only be useful in real situations, it would also help in keeping up some fitness standards. Or perhaps, the basic problems are so massive, and the funds are so meager that it’s a hopeless situation which no one wants to address. This was the first time they had ever been checked; IPS officers have a check up every year.

How is this to be achieved except by training This needs to go side by side with the mandatory induction of both groups into the police force. Does one need to say more The writer is a senior journalist.What about other forms of training Is the policeman who will have to deal with it on the ground, taught about crowd control Does his training equip him to deal with rioters and violent crowds How does he tackle an armed intruder when he himself isn’t armed Finally, there is the attitude to women and minorities.Finally, there is an abysmal lack of training. The same goes for the wireless van, or the venue protectors. While women in the force are beginning to be visible, there aren’t enough of them.

In each case, a pattern for movement could be worked out, one China light box signs factory which aids in fitness, and which also promotes visibility.Am I naïve in thinking that the policemen on bandobast and other "static" duties could be made "dynamic" by just moving them around In the bandobast, instead of just standing around, each policeman could be asked to interchange his position with neighbouring policemen every half hour: this way, not only would he get more exercise, his presence will be more widely seen. Policemen are supposed to be trained to use firearms, yet how often do we hear that most haven’t been to a shooting range for target practice because there is a huge shortage of ammunition Even other kinds of training programmes, which could be imparted with minimum equipment, are not on the agenda.I am not an expert, and these are only commonsense suggestions. Obviously, an attitudinal change is needed in the policeman’s mindset