Stating the reasons for such heavy participation from the police force in the event, Joint Commissioner of Police (Administration) Hemant Karkare said: “We encourage our men to take part in the marathon every year, and many policemen have taken part over the years. In a way, any activity we take part in alongside the community increases understanding between us, and develops stronger ties and communication. Mohallah committee meetings are a structured way of achieving this, and we view the marathon as another opportunity to do so.”

Karkare, who took part in the Dream Run, added: “Five policemen completed the full marathon, while 125 completed the half marathon. More than 500 policemen took part in the Dream Run. While the majority of them were from the Local Arms division, policemen from all branches like the Crime Branch, Special Branch, Anti-Terrorist Squad, traffic department and local police stations took part in the event. More than 100 women from the force also ran.”

Mumbai Police Chief D N Jadhav participated in the Dream Run along with Karkare and Additional Commissioner of Police (Armed Police) Gulabrao Pol. Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) K L Prasad was also present at the event in uniform.

“I took part in the Dream Run, and it was a great experience. We wanted a good showing and turnout from the police in the event, and we had practised hard for the past month. Some of our policemen completed the full marathon as well,” said Pol.

Other IPS officers who participated in the marathon were Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch) Suresh Kakkad, Additional Commissioner of Police (Economic Offences Wing) Sadanand Date and Additional Commissioner of Police (Protection and Security) Vinay Kargoankar. Date and Kargaonkar completed the half marathon.