The lead story in yesterday's STAR was about yet another police station infested with rats.

This story is probably the third of its kind to be published in recent times and it paints a disturbing picture of the shabby conditions in which police officers are forced to do their jobs.

We all know the many health hazards that lurk in an environment overrun by rats and quite frankly, the officers should stage some kind of protest. How can the authorities expect the officers to function in such an environment?

What makes this story even worse is the fact that the rodents have destroyed some of the important documents that are stored at the police station. Now, this is simply unacceptable. Imagine going to the police station to get some information about your case and hearing that your file was eaten by rats. Though it might sound hilarious, it really is not and the authorities should be ashamed.

As said before, it is not the first time that we have seen reports of police stations being taken over by giant rats. Why is it that rats seem to be so attracted to police stations, is it the fact that many police stations are housed in old buildings? Or does it point to the way they police stations are treated? As we all know, places that store garbage are perfect breeding grounds for rats.

The officers need to evaluate their environment, make sure they are not encouraging the rats and then take their case to the authorities as a group.