Among all the corona warriors, the most obvious, yet most undervalued, have been the cops. Notwithstanding the danger to their life, India’s police organizations can be said to have met people’s expectations. Without them, accomplishing the essential target during the lockdown which was limiting the people’s movement would have been problematic.

As the lockdown started on March 24, individuals kept themselves to their homes, most of the business exercises stopped and the transport was grounded. Instead of the standard obligations of peace support, crime control, and other functions the police needed to also ensure that the lockdown was implemented properly. As the circumstances developed, numerous new duties were included. As the pandemic triggered lockdown got extended, the pressure on the cops too increased. This necessitated the need for soft skills development in the cops.

The National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM) 2009 depicts the police as the “first and key responders” in a fiasco. This makes the need for soft skills in Police more relevant. At the point of beginning of the Indian lockdown which was among the most severe ones in the world, the police neither had any standard working method (SOP) nor rules for such a situation. Notwithstanding, that did not prevent cops and police officers from taking a chance with their lives to guarantee wellbeing for the rest. They had to monitor blockade and they needed to forestall unapproved movements. They had to draw “Lakshman rekhas” in commercial centers to ensure that social distancing was followed. They had gone past their obligation in providing vegetables and staple food and other goods to individuals in regulation zones. They had to secure medical care laborers and guarantee the consistent flow of transport and supply for fundamentally necessary products. Police headquarters and checkpoints had become destinations for general wellbeing efforts. Many had to operate without proper PPE kits.

The police took the chance of contracting the disease which could risk their families too. Several of them have, actually, had contracted it, and many of them have died too due to the Covid19. Among the other problems they faced, the police faced assaults from irate individuals for acting against lockdown.

Comparing the two capacities of the Police which are legitimacy support and social help expands our comprehension of police conduct and execution. One of the suggestions of the National Police Commission of 1980 stated that the police ought to properly perceive, and be prepared to play out the administration arranged-function in giving alleviation to individuals in troubled circumstances.

The pandemic has shown some significant developments. The police need to be prepared to be proactive in dealing with such unprecedented pandemic situations and learn to embrace such calamitous situations with proper social and soft skills. The NDRF, the SDRF along with the state police should develop network policing where the learning and experiences can be shared across the board. As the Covid situation taught India, the social and soft skills are a must for the police keeping in mind the large populace they serve.