Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), the country’s premier police school, here is taking extraordinary measures against COVID-19 to protect the 170 probationers, including 20 from four other countries.
Travel on hold
After COVID-19 cases emerged from different parts of India, their attachment training to Delhi, Indo Tibetan Border Police and other places has been put on hold. As they do not travel to other States by air, chances of contracting the infectious disease is substantially reduced.
Three-day special permission will be granted to probationers who want to attend UPSC interviews.
However, they will be quarantined for a few days after returning to campus to continue training.
Speaking to The Hindu, SVPNPA Director Atul Karwal said they are taking all precautionary measures to reduce the direct contact of probationers with the outside world. “No visitors are allowed inside campus. The body temperature of our staff who live outside is checked at the entry point every time they enter the campus,” he said.
Thermal screening
Sleuths of Central Industrial Security Force, who guard the 300-acre campus situated in the heart of the city, undergo thermal screening before their scheduled shift. “The training will continue till we get holding orders from the Central government. So far, no suspected case is reported from the academy. Everyone is doing well,” Mr. Karwal said.
Currently, a total of 170 trainees, which include 150 IPS probationers of 72 Regular Recruites (RR), six from Royal Bhutan, five each from Nepal and Mauritius Police Force, and four from Maldives Police Service ,are undergoing phase-I training at the academy which will continue till October.
After that, the probationers will be sent to their cadre for District Practical Training (DPT) and later come back to NPA for phase-II training.
‘Adequate supplies’
The academy has over 1,000 staff, including officers and contract employees, many of whom live outside the campus. Asked if the probationers of 71 RR who are undergoing DPT will be asked to come back to the campus, the director said, “No, the current situation is the time for them to learn beyond regular policing”. Mr. Karwal added that they have adequate stock of food supplies.
On Sunday, a trainee forest service officer from the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun, tested positive for COVID-19, as a result of which all probationers have been quarantined since they returned from a study tour to Spain, Finland and Russia.
Meanwhile, RBVRR Telangana State Police Academy director V.K. Singh also said that the training for 1,800-odd cadets, including 660 sub-inspectors (civil) and 670 women constables will not be stopped due to COVID-19 outbreak.
