DGP concerned over officers’ ‘late sittings’ in PHQ

Jammu, Feb 10: Director General of Police (DGP) R R Swain, taking cognizance of “late sittings” by many officers in Police Headquarters (PHQ)”, has asked all the officials to be “extremely selective in asking their juniors to sit late.”

In a circular, the DGP said that the guiding principle and deciding question for the late sitting officer should be – would some junior sitting late help in any way in expediting the work which he or she was handling and for which he or she was sitting late?

He also cautioned all the supervisory officers, irrespective of their position in the hierarchy, to be “sensitive about the work-life balance of their juniors.”

DGP issued direction after it came to his knowledge that many officers in PHQ had expressed anxiety regarding the late sittings and the inconvenience thereof.

He noted that the officers had been sitting late on their own even when they had no work and many were doing it out of “deference to their senior, who was yet to leave the office.”

“The situation warrants absolute clarity; no official who does not have any work or has work which he or she thinks can be easily handled the next day or the day after because of the flexibility of the time limit or deadline shall sit late even for a minute. This applies to all officers irrespective of ranks,” DGP directed. The only exception can be if an officer has been specifically asked by his senior to stay on to complete a time-bound task.

It was clarified that for the DGP, the schedule and roster of personal staff were carefully designed to give relief on a rotational and roster basis. “Other officers may emulate or may devise their mechanism,” it was suggested.