The Tiruvannamalai Taluk police station has been ranked the second best police station in the State for 2020 under the ‘Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Trophy for the best police station.
This is the second successive year that one of the police stations in the district has been selected for the prestigious award. Tiruvannamalai town police station had bagged the award in 2019. The award was instituted in 2018 to encourage stations to be people-friendly and undertake environment-related measures in the police station.
The Superintendent of Police (SP), Tiruvannamalai, A. Pavan Kumar Reddy, and Inspector of the Station, R. Hemamalini, will receive the trophy and certificates from Chief Minister M.K. Stalin during the Republic Day ceremony on January 26.
"It is a proud moment for all police personnel in the district. The award will also encourage other police stations to achieve goals set for best police stations," D.V. Kiran Shruthi, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Tiruvannamalai, told The Hindu .
18 assessment areas
Bifurcated from the British era town police station in 1973, the Tiruvannamalai Taluk station has been chosen for the award after it was assessed on 18 criteria, including computerisation of files and cases, crime detection, arrests in cases under POCSO Act, prevention of sale of prohibited items such as lottery tickets and drugs, conviction in cases, road safety, speedy disposal of cases, proper maintenance of records, cleanliness and friendliness towards citizens. Interestingly, the evaluation for the award, which was done in the rank of IGP, also includes negative marks if an official at the station had faced suspension or any disciplinary action.
Located on the foothills of Annamalai Hills, the Taluk police station is the largest station in the district covering 9 km under its limits. Cleanliness of the station and quick issuing of charge sheets were key highlights, among others that helped the station bag the award. During the pandemic, especially in 2020, the station officer earmarked specific timing for each complainant to address their grievances every day. Such measures had not only saved time and ensured safety but also resolved the issue faster. Inspector B. Chandrasekaran and Sub-Inspector R. Sivasankar were noteworthy in bringing such changes in addressing the complainant's grievances. At present, Tiruvannamalai has 54 police stations, including 39 Law and Order stations with around 1,200 police personnel.
