KOCHI: The police personnel who are active in checking licences on the roads have been flouting the law when it comes to its own drivers engaged in driving speed rafts of the department.The policemen driving the boats do not have the required licence and the expertise to handle these rafts. ‘’Not even a single official is qualified to drive boats and speed rafts,” a highly placed official said. Moreover, there are no mechanisms for repairing the rafts and speed boats. When a technical snag occurs, the technical team from Chennai has to be called upon, he said. The coastal police, which was established for the security of the coastal areas, is in dire straits even after three years of its inception. He said the coastal police wing was under severe crisis as there were no expert hands to carry out proper policing of the coastal stretch. Another issue is that they have not been insured. The police personnel will not get any compensation if they met with any accident in the sea, the official said.The coastal police personnel in states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are given 40 percent incentive along with the salary. Many of the policemen voluntarily joined the wing expecting such additional incentives. But almost three years after the inception of the coastal police, nothing has given by the government, the official said. According to Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose, “The problem with the coastal police is that it has not become full-fledged as the wing was set up only three years ago. But we are trying to give it more teeth by imparting improved training to the personnel. The coastal police will be extended to other districts in the coming years” Punnoose said.
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