Motihari, Nov. 6: Police have decided to conduct surprise raids on departmental vehicles to ensure that private drivers are not behind the wheels, posing threat to the cops.

East Champaran superintendent of police (SP) Ganesh Kumar said breath analyser tests would also be conducted on these private drivers. The police had in the past received several complaints of police vehicles being driven by private drivers in inebriated condition, posing a threat to residents.

Keeping this in mind, the police have decided to use alcometers to find out if the drivers are under the influence of alcohol.

Several private drivers work at various police stations, including the district headquarters, and many are found drunk during duty hours, resulting in accidents, said the police superintendent.

If private drivers are found running police vehicles, the station house officer of the police station concerned would be taken to task, the SP added.

The private drivers operating police vehicles is a menace in almost every district of east Bihar because they are often known to disclose classified information for money. Kumar told The Telegraph that several private drivers in the district have leaked information on several occasions in the past, compromising with missions against criminals.

Though there are posts for 100 police drivers in the district, at least 50 of them are vacant because of the shortage of skilled drivers.

To battle the manpower crunch, Kumar said: “I have taken steps at the local level and directed the sergeant major to fill up the vacant posts either by constables who know driving or homeguard jawans, who serve the department in other capacities.”

The decision was taken after the police headquarters gave a nod to a temporary local-level arrangement to meet the crisis.

Kumar said the arrangement would come as a relief to the police department.

Of the 50 drivers presently available in the department, 30 are registered drivers and the remaining are the contractual drivers or homeguard jawans. The issue, which is the same in almost all other districts, was raised at a meet of IPS officials in Patna last month.