Govt think-tank seeks psychological evaluation of cops to prevent suicides

THE government-backed police think tank Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), in a recent report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, has recommended conducting psychometric evaluation of personnel both at the time of recruitment and midcarrier to curb the tendency of suicide and fratricide within the forces, officials said.

-  MUKESH RANJAN

Noting that this is the need of the hour, the BPR&D report also emphasized the significance of psychometric evaluation in addressing mental health issues faced by police personnel, as the absence of its assessment and critical analysis have so far proved fatal in loss of lives.

According to the officials, the report has been prepared by three ADG rank officers from BSF, Uttarakhand police and CISF, along with experts from Delhi University, the ITBP, and the SSB.

The report also acknowledged that while psychometric evaluation at the recruitment stage is crucial, it cannot be the sole method of reducing the prevalence of mental stress within police organisations.