After being pushed on the backfoot initially, forces in the MMR manage to bring down active cases to about 1 per cent
Of the forces in MMR, the Mumbai police faced the heat the most. In Thane, the police chief himself contracted the virus and was up on his feet in 10 days to lead the force. File pic
As if curbing crimes and maintaining law and order was not enough, the police were targeted by an invisible enemy - the Coronavirus — last March. The men in khaki in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region took a hit initially only to prepare better and emerge stronger. Over nine months into the pandemic, cops in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane have managed to bring down active cases in the force to about 1 per cent.
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Among the three commissionerates, Mumbai Police felt the heat the most. The virus infected over 7,000 staffers and officers and felled 98. But a dedicated hospital and rigorous check-ups helped the cops contain further damage. “It was a really tough job, many of my friends, batchmates lost their lives in this battle, but we kept fighting,” said a senior inspector who himself got infected with COVID-19. “During the pandemic, we had to stretch our limits and working hours, but none of us shirked their responsibility,” he added.
In Navi Mumbai, the police formed a ‘wellness’ team to consistently keep an eye on the health of cops on duty as well as in hospital. The team members took regular updates from patients as well as doctors. “The wellness team became the game changer. It gave us a day-to-day idea of the health of not only the cops but their family members as well. The sensitisation workshops and lectures raised awareness at police station level, reducing the infection among staff,” DCP (zone 1) Suresh Mengde of Navi Mumbai Police told mid-day. Of its 8,000-strong force, the Thane police saw 1,757 staffers contracting the virus. The contagious disease did not even spare the police commissioner, who recovered within 10 days to lead the force again. Mumbra, Vartak Nagar, Naupada, Thane Nagar, Kalwa, Kopri, Wagle Estate and Bhiwadi police stations were badly hit due to the outbreak. The Mumbai police had to chip in after 29 members of the Crime Branch were down with infection in April 2020. Most of the city cops have recovered with just 15 patients under treatment now.
“The pandemic was an uncharted store which tested the entire police force. Right from asking citizens to stay indoors, penalising violators, cops remained at the forefront in this battle. Many of our officers, staff got infected, some unfortunately died but we didn’t step back and handled migrant labour issues remarkably. This was a learning process for the entire humanity and cops as well. I am satisfied and can say cops rose to the occasion,” said Thane Commissioner of Police Vivek Fansalkar.
Show of resilience
Mumbai Police (as of 10 am on January 7)
Total cases - 7,167
Recovered - 6,993
Deaths - 98
Active patients - 76
Thane Police (as on Jan 6)
Total cases - 1,757
Recovered - 1,710
Deaths - 32
Active patients - 15
Navi Mumbai Police (as on January 6)
Total cases - 1,079
Recovered - 1,061
Deaths - 11
Active patients - 7
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