Now, Gurgaon cops will mind their language with public

Common words or phrases like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ have for so long been left out of a policeman’s lexicon that most people do not expect to hear these from the police, even during innocent conversations.

This is set to change in the Millennium City.

With the Commonwealth Games approaching and the police department keen on changing the way its officials interact with public, the Gurgaon police have decided to hold lessons on ‘good conduct with the public’ for its personnel.

In the coming months, as many as 3,000 police personnel — from station house officers to constables — will undergo the three-day training programme on communication and behavioural skills.

“Most complaints we receive against the police personnel are about misconduct and not about their malafide intensions,” Gurgaon Police Commissioner S S Deswal said.

Noting that it is necessary to eliminate the “fear” that the public holds against policeman Deswal said: “It is important that they (policemen) be taught to keep control on their ‘mannerism’ while dealing with the public at large and observe proper etiquette.”

Officials said professionals will be engaged for the programme.

“We have carried out such short courses in the past for our personnel and seen improvement. As a government department we need to schedule our expenditure. We are working the modalities out,” Deswal said.

With a shooting event, of the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held at the CRPF campus in Kadarpur, the department is also expecting an influx of foreign visitors at the time of the Games.

“Constables are learning English so that they do not face difficulty while communicating with visitors,” the police chief added.

The district police have also started regular security drills along the Sohna Road (Kadarpur). Deswal said proper security arrangements will be ensured for visitors coming to Gurgaon to participate in the Games.

The Gurgaon police have also demanded more manpower and the Director General of Haryana Police, Ranjeev Dalal, has assured to provide about 800 more constables to Gurgaon before the Games.

According to Deswal, once there was additional manpower, the police would focus on improving the traffic management, especially at important intersections of old Gurgaon.