SPOs : The Unsung assistants to the Pune City Police in lockdown

Pune, June 15, 2020: In view of the ever-increasing burden of enforcing the lockdown within the city, the Pune Police encouraged volunteers from among the general public to participate in this process. Consequently, Commissioner of Police Dr K Venkatesham, floated the idea of inducting Special Police Officers (SPOs) who were given limited policing authority to enforce the lockdown.

Besides ensuring that people do not unnecessarily wander outside, the SPOs were also entrusted with the task of conducting the COVID Chatbot survey. As part of this survey, SPOs conducted a door-to-door survey to identify individuals with flu-like symptoms and made a note of their address and contact details. The data collated by the SPOs in their respective areas were compiled at the police station to which they were attached and then passed on to the health department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) which then contacted the individual in question and tests them and their immediate contacts for the coronavirus.

The SPOs have also been distributing packets of cooked food, masks and sanitiser to residents with containment zones. They have also been disinfecting public spaces within containment zones. The experiment with SPOs has proven to be efficacious as many of them are residents and therefore enjoy the confidence of residents.