Police officers at Kaduthuruthy station are helpless, with no vehicle, landline

Kaduthuruthy: Lack of an official vehicle and telephone at Kadathuruthy police station in Kottayam district is causing severe difficulties for the officers in carrying out their law enforcement duties. Even though there are two jeeps under the police station, both the vehicles have been in the workshop for major repairs over the past several weeks. Another jeep allotted for the station on a temporary basis is also in a poor condition and cannot be used regularly. Worsening the situation, the landline at the station was disconnected two months ago as the bill was not paid.

The official jeep of the station house officer had met with an accident a month ago and the jeep allotted to the sub-inspector has been undergoing repairs for engine trouble for several months. The estimate to repair both vehicles amounts to lakhs of rupees, which the police officers at the station are unable to meet. The police department also is yet to sanction the money.

The Kaduthuruthy police station manages law and order issues in the Kaduthuruthy, Kallara, Manjoor and Njeezhoor panchayats. Whenever an incident occurs, the police officers are now forced to reach the spot in their personal vehicles, mostly bikes and occasionally cars. This often causes a delay and the officers have to face the ire of the local residents.

With no jeep, the officers are also unable to deal with crimes involving gangs and offences committed by groups of people. In fact, the police officers have to travel to various areas under their jurisdiction at least 10 times daily, which is now being done on bikes.

A few days ago, the authorities allotted a vehicle which was in a good condition to the police station. However, it was soon taken to Thiruvananthapuram. Later, the jeep presently parked at the station was brought, but it is in a bad shape.

The ‘dead’ landline at the station also prevents people from contacting the police officers, leading to allegations against the officers of ignoring phone calls. This has forced many people to call the officers on their personal mobile phones whenever there is a crime or other violations of the law. Often, these officers will not be on duty and they contact their colleagues at the station to pass the message. This also leads to a delay and by the time the police officers reach the spot where the incident was reported, the crime would have already taken place. In effect, the officers at the police station are in a helpless condition.