New Delhi

A welcome change

Any change that is directed at bringing efficiency to a set-up is always welcome. The Delhi police have been undergoing a conscious transformation through introduction of state-of-the-art technology and new posts in the hierarchy. The latest modification in the hierarchical set-up is the change in the designation of Additional Station House Officers.

Additional SHOs, who were earlier understood to be the second in command at police stations, would from now on be known as Inspector Law and Order. The decision has been taken in keeping with a Supreme Court directive on segregation of law and order duties and investigation work for effective law enforcement.

The creation of the new post follows introduction of Inspector Investigations at police stations during the tenure of the previous Police Commissioner K. K. Paul, which was aimed at giving more attention to cases to improve the conviction rate.

The new post led to a general confusion about “seniority” between the Additional SHO and Inspector Investigation. Consequently this also created administrative hurdles when it came to transfer and posting of officers to these posts. With the “change” in the designation of Additional SHO, that problem has now been solved.

Under the new arrangement, both posts would now be treated at par, and in the absence of the area SHO the senior of the two would supervise operations at the police station.

Through this initiative the nature of the job of both the posts has been defined clearly and it is expected that it would result in a better work environment at police stations, thereby improving overall efficiency.

The authorities concerned would do well to further define the job profile of Inspector Law and Order by making him/her responsible for all law and order related cases like riots and preventive actions, apart from general security arrangements.

Another step that would have a direct bearing on law and order management is the proposed disbanding of police posts found unnecessary.

It is learnt that in a general directive, heads of districts and ranges were recently asked to identify such posts so that they could be shut down.

The idea behind the proposed initiative is probably to prevent needless waste of manpower and curb corrupt practices.

“The set-up of a post is almost similar to that of a police station and requires deployment of basic minimum staff for routine works. If it is found that a post is not serving the purpose of effective policing, it’s better to shut it down and divert the manpower to wherever it is necessary,” says a senior police officer.

For a force that is facing an acute shortage of manpower, closure of such police posts might be of great help and might also aid in redirecting the staff to areas that demand greater attention. But in doing so, the authorities would do well to ensure that the posts that are genuinely required are sanctioned swiftly.

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