Cops in Delhi will now get days off to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and personal moments

New Delhi: Delhi Police personnel will now get leaves to spend time with their families to celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversary among other important occasions of their lives, an official order has said.

Officials said the move has come into immediate effect after the order dated October 7 was issued with the approval of Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana.

With this order, around 80,000 police personnel of the force will henceforth get leaves to spend time with their families to celebrate the important occasions of their lives, officials said.

"It has been observed that on several occasions, police personnel are unable to spend time with their family members on important landmark occasions eg. birthdays of police personnel, spouse and their children as well as on their marriage anniversary," said the order undersigned by Mahesh Batra, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Information Technology).

According to the order, police personnel will be granted 'a day rest' on their birthday, wedding anniversary, the birthday of their spouse as well as the birthdays of their children.

A senior police officer said, "The order is for the entire Delhi Police force and has been implemented with immediate effect. Each one of them will be definitely given a day off to celebrate the important events of their lives as per the order issued."

Welcoming the move, another senior police officer said, "Every person has specific days in their lives which they would want to celebrate with their respective families but due to emergencies or nature of the job, police personnel miss out on these occasions.

"But this is indeed a very good step especially for the field functionaries who will also now get a day's off for important occasions."

'No Phones at work'

Meanwhile, in another administrative decision, the Security Unit of the Delhi Police has issued directions to its personnel to submit their mobile phones while they are deployed in arrangement duties. Police said the instruction was given last week and action will be taken against those who do not follow it.

Special Commissioner of Police (Security) I D Shukla told newswires, "Instructions have been given that during duty time, the security personnel will have to deposit their mobile phones wherever they have been deployed. Their duty is generally for two to three hours and during that period, keeping cellphones disturbs them."

"The duty of security has to be done with very concentration. All eyes and ears should be open. There are VVIPs and VIPs and at such a time, if they start using their cellphones, it poses a threat to security," Shukla said.