First-ever outbound camp for central range cops

On Tuesday and Wednesday, police officers from the Bengaluru central range would do a bit of tightrope walking and sighting vultures at Ramadevara Betta.

None of those would be part of their new assignment, of course, but are two of the events planned at the first-ever outbound training, in which 50 policemen would be taking part.

The police training-cum-adventure camp in Ramanagaram is aimed at breaking down the strict hierarchy ladder, build team spirit, infuse a sense of unity, break the monotony and cultivate friendship.

During the two-day event, the officers would perform a series of sport and adventure exercises like zip-lining, jummering, trekking and rock climbing, besides competing in shooting and archery events to win prizes.

Dev Balaji, founder of Nature Admire Adventure, which organises the event told DH that the outbound programme is a technique to improve employee efficiency through experiential learning. Shifting employees from their workplace and giving them challenging tasks improves their judgement, personality, interpersonal skills, communication, leadership abilities, team work; ability to resolve personal conflicts; and manage disasters.

In 2010, the first-ever police camp at Kudremukh for the Western range, with the support of Gopal G Hosur, proved to be a success, Balaji said.

Central range Inspector General of Police Dayananda said policemen need such outbound activities to get relief from stress. "This is the first time the men are going for something like this," he said. "The idea is to encourage team spirit since police work is all about team work. Here, all hierarchy will be broken."

Another senior officer believes the exercise would break the ice between superior officers and subordinates. "The staff get half-a-day off on weekends, so weekdays are ideal for an activity like this to break the monotony," he added.