The Hindu : Govt. mulls over setting up marine police force

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 07, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Govt. mulls over setting up marine police force

By G. Anand

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM JULY 6 . A highly equipped Marine Police unit that would give the State police a decisive edge in tackling potential law and order situations along the communally sensitive coastline of the State is under the active consideration of the Government, according to top police officials.

The recent communal violence at Marad in Kozhikode and Puthukurichi beach in Thiruvananthapuram has brought in a sense of urgency in the Police Department for establishing a marine unit that would enforce law on the sea and beach.

The conflagration at Puthukurichi in January this year had been a hard lesson for the police, which was forced to remain a helpless spectator on land due to the lack of sea-going capabilities, as miscreants torched fishing boats and fought with each other at sea, an official said.

Though there are intelligence inputs that militant and fundamentalist organisations could be using the 700 km-long coastline for obtaining illicit arms and narcotic substances, the police have scarce resources to prevent or detect such activities. An official said the State's coastline had been used in the past by militant groups from Sri Lanka and rebels from Maldives. Moreover, monsoon trawling is a sensitive issue in the State and the police are finding it difficult to implement the ban imposed by the Government.

The IG (Administration), M. N. Krishnamurthy, whose recommendation for starting the proposed `Kerala Marine Police' was accepted by the Government recently, said the marine unit would be organised on the lines of the Andaman Nicobar Islands Marine Police Force and the Coastal Security Guard of Tamil Nadu.

The main tasks of the marine wing would be to prevent clashes between fishermen groups, conflicts between mechanised boat owners and traditional fishermen, crime at sea, theft of sea-harvest, piracy, smuggling, narcotic trade, suicides along beaches, to enforce trawling policy and to monitor the activities at beach resorts and accident rescue. The marine wing would have a jurisdiction of up to 12 nautical miles (territorial waters) into the sea.

Mr. Krishnamurthy has recommended that three Marine Police Stations (each headed by a CI) be established at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. The stations will be notified as charging police stations vested with all the powers to investigate, apprehend and prosecute persons engaged in any crime at the water front/port limits, boat jetties and other jurisdictions as notified by the police. Each such station will have a strength of four SIs, 4 ASIs, 8 head constables and 50 constables.

It is proposed that each station be given one Interceptor Craft equipped with two light machine guns, Inmarsat communication equipment, GPS facility, night vision equipment, search lights and on board public address system. Each station will also be provided with two fiber glass speed boats, one high speed water motorcycle (jet ski) and a vehicle with all- terrain capability to move fast through beach areas. Handheld X-ray units for detection of explosives, anti-riot equipment such as floating teargas canisters, dye-marker grenades and plastic pellets will be provided.

Mr. Krishnamurthy has recommended that the 12 coastal districts with 72 police stations be divided into 21 Marine Police Units. Each unit will be headed by a Sub Inspector and will have a strength of three Assistant Sub Inspectors, three head constables and ten constables. The units will function independently of the local police station. However, the unit SIs will have no power to register or investigate cases.

The units would be grouped into 10 sectors under the supervision of Circle Inspectors (CIs) and the sectors will be further grouped into zones under DySPs.

It is recommended that the Marine Police be equipped with 7.62 mm SLR assault rifles, night vision binoculars, metal detectors, search lights, portable diving oxygen cylinders, life jackets, one vehicle with all terrain capability and air-balloon rafts. Marine checkposts to monitor vehicles accessing communally sensitive coastal stretches have been proposed.

Light blue shirt worn with navy blue pants has been suggested as the uniform of the proposed marine unit. The wing will have separate unit emblem and signals. The officers and men will be drawn on deputation from the State police for a three-year period. The men will be trained at the upcoming Coast Guard Training facility in Kochi.

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