Maharashtra plans to improve policing

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

MUMBAI, JAN. 4. A communication network using satellites and computers to link all police stations, bifurcating law and order and crime investigation responsibilities right up to that level, amending laws to ensure that in cases of eveteasing no bail is granted unless two respectable women offer sureties are some of the provisions on the cards to improve policing. Instead of cumbersome weaponry, police may get lighter, more effective firearms.

A committee, comprising two Ministers of State for Home, Mr. Manikrao Thakre and Mr. Kripashanker Singh, a DGP, Mr. Arvind Inamdar, and six other key officials, is developing these features. Promotions to 22,000 personnel from the constabulary to Additional Superintendents are being considered to improve morale. These personnel have not been promoted for more than a decade. Reforms and modernisation seem to be the twin options before the Government.

An interesting aspect is that any information provided on ragging by police station-level committees, where principals and teachers of local educational institutions will be members, would be considered valid. According to Mr. Manikrao Thakre, ``appropriate laws will be amended''. However, he was unable to fix a timeframe for this.

This committee, of which Mr. Thakre is the chairman and Mr. Singh the co-chairman, is looking at issues that dog police force in general and personnel in particular but while it is able to look at what can be done to prop up morale, provide promotional avenues and reshape the working, the crucial aspect of how to peg required levels of efficiency and means to monitor them effectively seems to have been given a lower priority.

The intent to separate law and order management and the crime investigation parts of police work is to ensure greater focus on crime probe in all areas except Mumbai - that commissionerate alone has a separate anti-crime wing - by eliminating other distractions. The VVIP and VIP chasing, apparently is one distraction and nothing much is known to have been discussed on this in the committee which had its first meeting today.

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