Mapusa: Mapusa police station has been facing administrative and operational disruption due to a shortage of vehicles and a shutdown of its canteen, triggered by the redeployment of home guards to newly procured Police Control Room (PCR) vehicles.A source said the police department has purchased 600 four-wheelers to address the shortage across PCR units and police stations. “It was decided to deploy a home guard along with police personnel on these vehicles, particularly PCR vehicles,” the source said.A June directive to staff the new PCR fleet by pairing regular personnel with home guards aged above 40 has affected the station canteens. Many home guards reassigned to PCR duty were working as cooks, leaving several canteens understaffed, police said.The Mapusa canteen, which serves around 200 personnel from the police station, DSP office, traffic cell and special branch, has remained closed for the past eight days. “Many of these reassigned home guards were previously deployed as cooks in the station canteen; their sudden departure has forced multiple canteens to shut down, ” an officer said.“With the station canteen shut, investigating officers are forced to procure meals from outside at their own expense to feed arrested and detained suspects, creating an avoidable financial and logistical burden for the force,” an officer said.Vehicle shortage has worsened the situation. Officers said the station has only one functional jeep, mostly reserved for the PI, forcing personnel to use private vehicles and fuel for court duties, crime scene visits and patient transfers to GMC.Several vehicles are unavailable due to breakdowns, while the movement of two Robin patrol cars is controlled by the central control room in Panaji, affecting local response. The station also lacks a hearse, requiring officers to hire private transport to move bodies in accident and unnatural death cases.“Lack of vehicles is affecting emergency response during crimes and accidents, regular night patrolling, and transport of accused, especially at Mapusa and Colvale police stations,” a DSP-level officer said.
