After AC helmets, cotton hats for cops on duty

Amid the searing heat, traffic police personnel in Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur were on Saturday provided lightweight and breathable cotton hats designed to ensure greater comfort during extended duty hours under the scorching sun.

This comes days after the Bilaspur police conducted a successful trial of battery-operated AC helmets for its personnel to help them stay cool amid rising temperatures.

"New cotton hats have been provided to all the police personnel deployed on traffic duty. The aim is to provide relief from the heat to the personnel and make the traffic system more efficient and effective," Superintendent of police (SP), Hamirpur Bhagat Singh Thakur told reporters here.

The hats are specially designed to provide protection from intense sunlight and are made from sweat-absorbing fabric to improve comfort in high temperatures, he said.

Several districts of Himachal Pradesh, especially those in the lower hills, are currently reeling under a heat wave. The weather has remained dry, and minimum temperatures have stayed four to seven degrees above normal in most parts of the state.