Amid surge in crimes, shortage of staff and patrol cars cripple Kundara police station

The police station in Kundara, Kollam is facing a severe crisis, operating with barely any functional vehicles or adequate staff. The acute shortage of personnel has raised serious concerns regarding the maintenance of law and order in the region. Alarmingly, the station is so understaffed that there are times when not even a single officer is available to guard the premises.

This lack of security was laid bare recently when a theft suspect walked out of the lockup undetected. The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Vaijesh from Ezhucone, had been detained in connection with a wiring material theft at a house in Nanthirickal. Following a medical examination, he was placed in the cell at around 23:00. However, only two officers were on duty at the station that night — one managing the general diary and another on sentry duty. The officer in charge of locking the cell forgot to secure the padlock. Capitalising on this lapse and realising the sentry was distracted in conversation with a friend, Vaijesh simply slid the lock open and escaped around 01:30. Five days after the escape, the police are yet to track him down.

Rising crime leaves residents fending for themselves
Over the past four months, nearly 20 theft cases have been reported in Kundara, but progress in investigations remains practically non-existent. In July alone, five separate thefts occurred at local roadside shrines in quick succession, yet no arrests have been made. Break-ins at under-construction houses, closed cashew factories, and local commercial establishments are also on the rise, with police merely registering cases without further action.

Frustrated by this inaction, local residents and business owners have started taking matters into their own hands. Following a break-in at a closed cashew factory in Pulimukku on 13 April, the manager filed a formal complaint. Fed up with the lack of progress, the factory staff reviewed CCTV footage themselves, identified the culprits, and eventually guided the police to their hideouts. Although the suspects were arrested, they were soon released on bail. Within weeks, the same gang targeted the owner's other factories in Perayam and Ambalathumkala, and they remain at large.

No vehicles even for the station chief
The transport situation at the Kundara police station is equally dire. Officers are often forced to hire private taxis to attend to emergencies. Even the Station House Officer (SHO) is without a reliable vehicle. Out of the three patrol vehicles previously assigned to the station, one was decommissioned due to poor maintenance and returned to the department. The Sub-Inspector's vehicle has been stuck in a workshop for weeks, while the SHO's vehicle suffers from severe overheating issues, requiring a one-hour cooldown break for every 30 minutes of driving. In urgent situations, the team has to borrow vehicles from neighbouring stations.

Severe staff shortage hampers investigations
The station currently operates with just 48 personnel, including the SHO, against a sanctioned strength of 65. Compounding the issue, 11 officers are currently on leave, and one Civil Police Officer (CPO) is under suspension following a custodial death inquiry of a local resident, Siyad. While the station requires five Sub-Inspectors, it currently has only one, and there is no female SI. Out of the 16 sanctioned Senior Civil Police Officer positions, only nine are filled. With Kundara registering up to 300 cases a month, officers are left wondering how they are expected to function. Previously, a dedicated team of four officers investigated thefts; today, there is not even enough staff to register complaints. The number of pending cases, which stood at under 200 a few months ago, has skyrocketed to nearly 500 unsolved files. Furthermore, despite growing calls to set up a police aid post at the Kundara Taluk Hospital due to rising violence against healthcare workers, the station simply does not have the manpower to deploy officers there.

Mounting pressure on existing staff
The relentless workload has taken a major toll on the physical and mental well-being of the on-duty officers. Many newly appointed personnel try to avoid taking up postings at Kundara due to the notorious work pressure. The station is also unable to deploy personnel for traffic management, leading to daily gridlocks in the town centre. During the festive rush of Onam, local MLA PC Vishnunath had to intervene to get ten officers temporarily deployed from other units to manage the traffic. Despite several reports sent by the Special Branch to higher authorities warning of the imminent collapse of the station's operations, no corrective action has been taken.