Southern States - Kerala

Police reforms under consideration: CM

By Our Staff Reporter

KANNUR JUNE 8. The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, has said that a plan to reform the police force in the State to make it one of the best forces in the country was under the serious consideration of the Government.

Inaugurating the newly-built police family quarters at Sreekantapuram here today, the Chief Minister said that his Government would take efforts to reform the police force by enhancing facilities for police personnel and improving their training along with measures to make it more people-friendly.

Stating that the improvement of law and order situation in the politically volatile and violence-hit district of Kannur justified his Government's police policy of giving total freedom to the police force for enforcing law, Mr. Antony said that the freedom to act above partisan consideration had earned wide public support.

"Though people's reaction to the police policy is generally positive, I still get bricks from those who are supposed to give me bouquet,'' Mr. Antony said.

"Police can no longer be seen as a tool in the hands of those in power and no one will be allowed to entertain a special rights on the police," he said adding that the police force was duty bound to act impartially for protecting the people's lives and property.

Admitting that the Government's police policy had not gone down well with some sections, the Chief Minister exuded the confidence that the impartial policing could help improve the law and order situation even in sensitive areas.

He also reminded the police force not to misconstrue the freedom it had been bestowed with as freedom to indulge in corrupt practices.

"Police should be friendly to the people. None other than those who commit offences should be afraid of the police force,'' he said.

The Chief Minister earlier visited the residence of the KAP constable, K.V. Vinod, who had been killed at Muthanga during the police operation to evict the Adivasi agitators.

Stating that all sections, including the media, had largely ignored deceased police constable and his family, he asked: "Is the death of a police constable not serious enough to deserve attention.''

"Mistakes and abuses committed by police rightly attract sharp criticism, but the pathetic conditions in which police persons work and live often go unappreciated,'' the Chief Minister said.

The Irikkur MLA, K.C. Joseph, presided over the function. The IG, North Zone, Venugopal K. Nair, the DIG, Kannur Range, N. Shanker Reddy, and the District Superintendent of Police, Manoj K. Abraham, also spoke on the occasion.

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