Para 328 to 337 | Chapter XXVI Directions for Police Officers During Famine | Uttar Pradesh Police Regulations

328. Direction for guidance of police officers in the time of famine.-

When the Collector opens test works and poor-houses at the beginning of a famine, he will send to the Superintendent of Police for distribution of every police station in the affected tracts a sum of money as famine imprest for the relief of wanderers in distress. The officer-in-charge of each police station will recoup his advance from the balance which the Superintendent of Police will retain in his reserve and the Superintendent of Police will recoup his imprest from Collector. The Officer-in-charge of the station will instruct the chaukidars of his circle to direct or conduct all starving wanderers whom they meet to the nearest place of relief (poor-houses, relief work, or police station, as the case may be). A system of patrols by beat constables should also be organized to search for starving wanderers in likely places, such as trunk and district roads, temporary rest-houses and sarais and the lanes and bye-ways of towns and villages, and to send them to the nearest place of relief. No compulsion should be exercised by constables or chaukidars. If the wanderer refuses to go to a place of relief, he must be left alone. If he is too weak to walk, he should be assisted or carried: the cost of conveyance and of food on the way may be paid out of the famine imprest, and may be incurred in urgent cases by any constable or chaukidar without reference to the officer-in-chare of the police station.

329. Duty of police officer when a wanderer in distress comes or is brought to a police station.-

When a wanderer in distress comes or is brought to a police station, he should be fed, if in need of food and directed or conducted to the nearest poor-house or relief work. If he refuses to go to place of relief though ale to walk, he should not fed as wanderer, must not be encouraged to travel about getting his food from police station and avoiding poor-houses. If the person is fit for work, he should go to a relief work, if he is too weak, he should go to a poor-house. The cost of conveyance to a poor-house may be paid out of the imprest if the wanderer is too feeble to walk. The food given at the police station should be such as the officer-in-charge considers suitable to the condition of the wanderer. Weak persons should receive something that is easily digested. Persons who are well enough to look after themselves may be given food or money to purchase food as seems best. The cost of food or cash payment in lieu thereof will not exceed the dependent’s allowance prescribed in paragraph 128(a) of the Revised Famine Code, U.P., 1912.

330. Every S.O. of a police station should send weekly report to S.P. in form E- VI.-

Every officer-in-charge of a police station should send to the Superintendent a weekly abstract in Form NO. E VI. Copies of this form printed on orange paper will be obtained from the Government Central press or Superintendent of Police, who will distribute them to stations. Any expenditure incurred on cost of conveyance should be shown separately. The statement must be dispatched in the time to reach headquarter on Sunday. The Superintendent will submit an account to the Collector in the same form so as to reach him on Monday morning, and will make remittance to police stations to recoup the imprest. If the imprest is exhausted before the arrival of the remittance, the officer-in-charge should immediately report the fact, and in anticipation of a remittance should spend money from any other sum under his control. With the abstract in Form No. E VI the officer-in-charge of the station should send a list showing the names and residences of all men, women and children relieved and the sum spent on each. If no body has been relieved a report should be send that the abstract is blank.

331. Police may be employed in guarding treasure chest on relief.-

If the Collector sees fit, police may be employed in guarding treasure chest on relief works or in keeping order there, but will not, as a rule, be employed in the latter way. Police must not be used as patrols to enforce conservancy agreements.

332. Money received from collector should be disbursed promptly.-

If the money is received from the Collector or under his order for distribution to persons entrusted with village relief, it should be kept for the recipients and disbursed to them as soon as they arrive. If money is sent in this way, instructions as to the receipts to be taken and the accounts to be kept, will be issued.

333. Unclaimed bodies should be burnt or buried by the police according to the religion of the deceased.-

Unclaimed bodies should be burnt or buried by the police according to the religion of the deceased. The expenditure will be met from the permanent advance of the station granted for the transport of wounded and accused-persons etc., and not from the famine imprest.

334. If famine relief seriously increases the duties of the police S.O. may apply to S.P. for extra force.-

If famine relief seriously increases the duties of the police at any station the officer-in-charge may apply to the Superintendent for an increase of staff.

335. Balance money of relief operations should be deposited in treasury.-

When relief operations, have been closed the officer-in-charge of the station will refund the balance of the famine imprest by paying it into subtreasury or to the Superintendent of Police.

336. Periodical reports should be submitted from police station to S.P. –

Periodical reports should be submitted from police station to the Superintendent on the dates prescribed by him, concerning –

(1) any increase in crime attributable to a general rise in prices or scarcity of food.

(2) any wandering of needy, starving persons;

(3) any emigration from or immigration to the police circle;

(4) any unusual increase of mortality;

(5) any cases of starvation or severe want;

(6) any decline in the above symptoms of scarcity.

The Superintendent of Police will submit similar reports for the whole area under his charge periodically to the District Magistrate.

337. S.O. should assist the officer-in-charge of famine relief.-

The officer-in-charge of a police station will report any important fact connected with famine administration or the growth or decline or distress which he thinks that the district authorities ought to know and do not know. He should also assist the officer-in-chare of famine relief by spreading information in his circle as to the site of relief works and poor-house, by encouraging the people and preventing scares, and by explaining and justifying the principles on which relief is being administered.