In an effort to improve its image, the city police will strive to be more responsive and credible to achieve the best policing practice while dealing with the law and order situation, said the 37th City Police Commissioner, C.H. Pratap Reddy, on Tuesday. Interacting with the media after taking charge, Mr. Reddy said containing anti-social activities with reference to rowdyism, illegal foreigners’ stay, gambling and narcotics, and ensuring women’s safety, traffic management, and investigation of cases with scientific temper are his priorities. Here are excerpts from an interview:
You mentioned about responsive and credible policing. What are your plans to carry forward the idea?
To begin with, every division will have a crime monitoring unit to focus on important cases, under a senior police officer, which needs constant monitoring, from tracking cases to prosecution. There are many instances where the crime will go out of focus due to various reasons and do not have a proper follow-up system. All such cases are being monitored and taken to its logical conclusion, which includes keeping a track on the accused while they were in prison through the prison monitoring system.
Since the city is back on track in terms of traffic after COVID-19 restrictions, what are the ideas you have on traffic management?
In the last two years, people were working from home and traffic was under control. As the city is now returning to normalcy, traffic congestion is being monitored at the junction level to ensure free flow of traffic. There are many projects on the cards to reduce traffic density and improve infrastructure. This includes installing more devices and equipping the traffic police with enforcement cameras. For example, random checking of vehicles for traffic violations has been stopped, with the help of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, red light violation detection enforcement cameras, and installation of CCTV cameras across the city under a Union government scheme. This is a big step towards smart police management where everyone, from a constable to the Commissioner, works to ensure law and order.
What is the status of the towing vehicles in the city ?
Towing vehicles are part of the traffic management system and their services are needed for smooth flow of traffic. The tigers [as the vehicles are called] will be introduced again but after the revised guidelines and with the permission from the authorities concerned .
There is a demand to extend nightlife in the city. What is your take on this?
My predecessor and the officials have taken a decision on this and the status quo will be maintained on this.
There are allegations of corruption among CCB officials and local police in terms of allowing certain illegal activities. How are you going to tackle this issue?
As I said, any dereliction of duty and negligence on part of the police officials will be strictly dealt with. About the allegation against CCB officials, the power broker in this case has already been arrested and investigation is on to ascertain the role of any officials, which will be handled accordingly.
Bengaluru has the highest number of cybercrimes registered. How are you going to handle this with a limited number of staff to investigate?
With the highest number of cases registered, the city is also known for its best practice while handling cybercrime cases. The introduction of the CIR (cybercrime incident report) system in Bengaluru is the first ever, which was followed by other metro cities. This is working very well in handling financial frauds and stopping illegal online payments within the golden hour. This CIR system will be analysed and improved further for better services.
I had a great stint: Pant
The outgoing Commissioner Kamal Pant, soon after handing over the baton to Mr. Reddy, thanked all officials for their cooperation and good work. “ I greatly thank the citizens of Bengaluru for their support and heartfelt thanks to my colleagues for their unflinching cooperation in maintaining peace and law and order . I had a great stint as Commissioner of Police and wishing the best to Mr. Reddy for his new tenure ,“ Mr. Pant said, while tweeting his last message on the City Police Commissioner Twitter handle.
