Latest news with #PHQ
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Cong walks out over crime, policing; minister insists state is peaceful
Bhopal: The state assembly witnessed uproar on Wednesday as Congress MLAs accused the BJP-led state govt of failing to maintain law and order, before walking out in protest. Opening a debate through a call attention motion, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said the state recorded 25 murders and 20 rapes a day in 2024, while cyber frauds drained Rs 250 crore and 23,000 women went missing from their homes. He alleged drug trafficking was rising, some accused had links to the ruling party, and fake cases were being lodged against Opposition leaders and journalists. Minister of state for home, Narendra Shivaji Patel, refuted the charges, and said the law and order situation was strong and peace reigned in the state. Singhar said a circular from the PHQ stated that any police personnel who was an accused in a criminal case, or whose conduct was dubious, or a departmental enquiry was being conducted against him, would not be given field posting. However, in MP, postings in police stations were taking place against bribes. He noted that there was action on criminals in major cities because of media glare, but in smaller places, nobody heeded the victims of crimes. He said the minister might have read out data to defend the govt, but he also admitted to a 15 per cent increase in incidents of loot. Referring to the absence of CM Mohan Yadav from the House procidings while the debate on the law and order situation in the state was taking place, particularly because he also held the home portfolio, Singhar said if he was not able to find time to look after the home dept, he should give the charge to someone else. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Know GCP's Security Essentials Peoplediscovery Learn More Undo Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar said the CM was away only to fulfil his duty towards the state. Participating in the debate, Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya said when the law and order situation worsens, the poor and the underprivileged suffer at the hands of the powerful, and this was what was happening in the state of Madhya Pradesh. He referred to a recent suicide by an ASI because of harassment by his senior and said despite his suicide note and the video, there had been no action against the officials concerned. Congress MLA Jaivardhan Singh referred to police FIRs against Congress leaders and their kin, a baton charge on Karni Sena workers at Harda, and another incident reported recently in which a person was asked to tender an apology while keeping his shoes on his head by a panchayat. He said such 'Talibani" justice was being meted out by a panchayat in MP. He also referred to the vacancy of 25,000 posts in the police force and said it also affected the efficiency of the police. In his reply, minister Patel said the law and order situation was completely under control, and there had been no riots in the state. The cyber police had been able to hold the transfer of Rs 105 crore from the accounts of the victims when they were informed promptly. He further denied that police personnel with dubious records had been given field postings, and said none of the SHOs posted in police stations had a case or DE pending against them. On the shortage of staff in the police force, he said the process to recruit 8,000 police personnel was underway.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bihar Police launches ‘Operation Naya Savera' to curb human trafficking, child labour
Patna: Bihar police headquarters (PHQ) on Wednesday organised a day-long workshop to mark the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, and announced the launch of 'Operation Naya Savera' on the occasion. The event was organised by the weaker sections division of the Bihar Police. Naya Savera is a fortnight campaign that aims to rescue and rehabilitate victims of human trafficking , child labour , flesh trade and orchestra groups. It will run from July 31 to August 14. The two best-performing districts will also receive awards from the PHQ. Vinay Kumar, director general of police (DGP), speaking as the chief guest, commended the efforts of the weaker sections division in preventing human trafficking and flesh trade in the state. "All stakeholders including the various NGOs, police, labour department, social welfare department must work together on a unified platform to eradicate these crimes," said the DGP. Amit Kumar Jain, additional director general (ADG), weaker sections, said, "From Jan to May 2025, Bihar registered 231 cases related to human trafficking. The police rescued 118 minor girls and 506 boys, besides arrested 144 traffickers in this period. The division has also issued two standard operating procedures (SOPs) to guide the police in such cases." The workshop held from 10am to 6pm on Wednesday, provided training to nodal police officers from all districts, including deputy superintendents of police, in-charge of anti-human trafficking units, and women's police station chiefs, on the roles of various stakeholders and aspects of prevention. A discussion on the Transgender Act-2019 was presided over by social activist, Reshma and DSP of the transgender cell, Salma Khatoon. They spoke about the challenges and responsibilities related to the act and also mentioned about constituting transgender help desks in 855 police stations in the state. During the event, the chief guest honoured four people for their work in human trafficking cases. Saran SP was one of them as he rescued 194 minor girls from May 2024 to July 2025. SP Rohtas was also recognised for rescuing 47 girls in an operation and arresting five traffickers. SP (Rail), Patna, was felicitated for rescuing a kidnapped child and City SP (west) not only rescued minor girls, but also busted a trafficking gang, and arrested six traffickers. Three human trafficking survivors, one from Samastipur and two from Gaya, were also facilitated. "The victims at the time of rescue were minors, one was trafficked for forced labour and two were put into flesh trade," added the ADG.
Medscape
2 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
PHQ-3: A Quick, Yet Still Effective Depression Screen
A shortened version of the commonly used nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) may offer clinicians a quicker yet still effective way to screen for depressive symptoms, new research suggested. The PHQ-3 only includes items 1 (about interest), 2 (about depressed mood), and 6 (about self-esteem or failure) from the PHQ-9. In a survey study of more than 96,000 US adult participants, the PHQ-3 had 98% sensitivity and 76% specificity for predicting at least moderate or greater depressive symptoms. Additionally, it was 'highly correlated' with the full PHQ-9 and noninferior to a recently validated four-item version for effectiveness — and it yielded a sensitivity of more than 90% across all ages, races, and ethnicities. Lead study author Roy H. Perlis, MD, vice chair of research in the Department of Psychiatry at Mass General Brigham, Boston, said the investigators wanted to determine the shortest version of the PHQ-9 that could still be effective — and found that the PHQ-3 hit the 'sweet spot' they were looking for. 'We let the data tell us what the constellation of symptoms are that best predict overall severity and how well they do at identifying depression. It's a way we might be able to get the maximum amount of information in the shortest amount of time,' Perlis told Medscape Medical News. However, he noted that he's not yet ready to recommend the PHQ-3 for widespread use in clinical practice. 'I want to see further studies in clinical settings. But I think we made a good start towards showing it did well in a big, general sample of US adults,' Perlis said. The findings were published online on July 21 in JAMA Network Open . Shorter Attention Spans 'The PHQ-9 was not intended as a tool to diagnose depression. It's just a way to start the conversation; and although it's not perfect, it is useful,' Perlis noted. The original patient-reported PHQ was a screen for depression as well as for anxiety, eating disorders, alcohol misuse, and somatization. The version with a nine-item depression scale (PHQ-9) became widely used to screen for depression plus related symptoms, such as fatigue and troubled sleep. However, the length has become burdensome to some patients, especially those who prefer to use phone apps rather than printed out forms. 'Faced with a long list of survey questions, some individuals may be tempted to speed through or to not respond at all,' the investigators wrote. At the recent American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, clinicians in the audience at several sessions mentioned their patients have been complaining that the PHQ-9 is too long and that they prefer data to be delivered in smaller 'chunks.' Perlis said that attitude was a big motivator for their study. 'We're in an era where we have shorter attention spans and people want things very quickly,' he said. 'Personally, I would always rather have the PHQ-9. The question we were trying to answer was: Can we ask fewer questions if we don't have the time or the space to ask about nine [items] and do almost as well?' Perlis reported. The research assessed data from four waves of an online survey conducted from November 2023 to July 2024. In the first wave, they identified the optimal questionnaire items to be included. The four waves had a total of 96,234 participants (57% women; mean age, 47.3 years). Of these, 68% were White individuals, 13% were Black individuals, 10% were Hispanic or Latino individuals, 5% were Asian, and 4% were classified as 'other.' In the full patient population, 26% had moderate or greater depressive symptoms, as measured by a PHQ-9 score ≥ 10. Follow-Up Is Key After examining shortened versions of the PHQ-9 that ranged from including just one item up to eight items, the PHQ-3 with items 1 (interest), 2 (depressed mood), and 6 (self-esteem or failure) was deemed to be the 'optimal' version. It had a sensitivity of 0.98 (95% CI, 0.97-0.98) and a specificity of 0.76 (95% CI, 0.75-0.76) for moderate or greater depressive symptoms. Across all subgroups except participants aged 65 or older, the sensitivity for the PHQ-3 was > 0.94. For that subgroup, it was 0.93. The PHQ-3 was also noninferior to previously reported sensitivity and specificity of the PHQ-Depression-4 in the whole study group and in all subgroups. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for predicting moderate or greater depressive symptoms was 0.83 for the PHQ-3. The AUROC for the PHQ-9 was 0.84. 'While a shortened scale cannot capture the full range of the PHQ-9, it may facilitate more widespread and efficient investigation of psychiatric symptoms in general population samples when participant burden and/or data collection expense must be minimized,' the investigators wrote. Overall, Perlis said the PHQ-3 could be a possible first-step screening tool, with more questions added as needed. 'What's most important is that people are screening for depression and, if someone screens positive, that they're following up with a more comprehensive evaluation and offering treatment if it's indicated,' he said. 'It's really about figuring out who needs follow-up.' Menu of Options? In an accompanying editorial, Kurt Kroenke, MD, Regenstrief Institute Indianapolis, noted that the study had 'numerous strengths,' including its large and diverse study population but also several limitations. First, criteria for calculating sensitivity and specificity was not a structured psychiatric interview, which is what was used in the past to evaluate two- and nine-item PHQs. Also, because the researchers pulled from a general population sample, future studies should focus on actual patients from both primary care and psychiatric settings, Kroenke suggested. He noted that in addition to the various shortened PHQs, the two-item and four-item versions of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System have shown benefit. 'Clinicians and researchers looking for ultrashort depression measures now have a menu from which to choose, which is good since one size may not fit all purposes,' Kroenke wrote. 'Expanded use of brief screeners to increase detection of depression has the potential to decrease the burden of the most prevalent mental disorder worldwide,' he added.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Pooram row: Police HQ returns file on Ajith Kumar without remarks
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Police Headquarters (PHQ) has returned to the state government the report of former State Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb on ADGP M R Ajith Kumar's alleged lapses during the 2024 Thrissur Pooram, without adding any remarks. The file was returned to the government last week as incumbent Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar took a stand that there was no ground for him to add any remarks on the report, which was prepared by his predecessor after a detailed inquiry. Earlier, the state government had forwarded Shaik's report to the PHQ seeking remarks of the new head of the force. The move of the state government had appeared outlandish as the report was prepared after a detailed probe by the former police chief, who is senior to Ravada. Sources said the PHQ took a stand that it had no locus standi to give remarks on Shaik's report as the current police chief was never part of any investigation conducted against Ajith. The act of the state government referring the report to the PHQ had raised a few eyebrows. Many felt it was part of the ploy to delay acting on Shaik's report, which reportedly carried critical remarks against Ajith. If Ravada had given remarks suggesting a mild action against the officer, it could have given the government an excuse to go soft on the officer, sources felt. Shaik had filed his report with the government in the last week of June, just days before his retirement, where he reportedly stated that there were lapses from Ajith's part during the pooram. Revenue Minister K Rajan had testified that when the pooram faced disruption, he tried to reach Ajith over phone and that he did not respond.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Time of India
Bihar Police restrict media interactions to authorised spokespersons
Patna: Amid controversies regarding several media reports on high-profile cases and police statements, Bihar director general of police (DGP) Vinay Kumar has issued crucial guidelines restricting interactions to authorised spokespersons only. Under the new directive issued on July 22, only the designated spokesperson at the police headquarters (PHQ) will have the authority to communicate with the media regarding imported cases. In this case, Kundan Krishnan, additional director general (ADG), PHQ, who was previously appointed as the official police spokesperson, will now be the sole authority for media communications in important cases. Recently, Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kartikeya K Sharma, during a press conference, warned reporters for their "irresponsible reporting in the gangster Chandan Mishra murder case". He mentioned issuing show-cause notices to such media houses for their coverage, which allegedly alerted the accused involved in the case. However, the PHQ issued a press note on Wednesday clarifying, "An order has been issued stating that the authorised police spokesperson for the PHQ will present and read press notes on important matters to the media, after obtaining approval from the DGP. Any information related to a specific division will be presented to the press by its head after approval from the DGP." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo In districts, as before, the SSP/superintendent of police or an officer authorised by them will provide information to the media. Unauthorised police officers will not give statements to the media, the order said. The directive explicitly prohibits individual police officers and personnel from giving independent media bytes or statements. For matters of significance, written information will be prepared and shared through the spokesperson only after receiving approval from the DGP. The decision follows several recent incidents where individual statements by police officers led to misunderstandings and controversies like a statement on Bihar farmers, issued by the ADG. Krishnan, during a press conference at the PHQ, said that murders are on the rise during April-June as agricultural works were suspended in monsoon. The same statement was repeated by the Bihar DGP after 24 hours. Later, Krishnan apologised for his statement.
