PUNE: After the change of guard in the Pune city police in August this year, the top cops have brought life to the implementation of traffic rules and other policing schemes.
Commissioner of Police Dr K Venkatesham and Joint CP Shivaji Bodkhe took the reins and along with DCPs, almost every officer at the top is new to the city. However, that did not deter them from cracking down on illegal activities or the ‘politically sensitive’ strict traffic norms. One of the pet projects of the new commissioner is the weekly Tuesday Review Meeting (TRM), wherein the status of instructions and pending issues is discussed. Though it has not been appreciated by the lower rung officials, the top brass has stuck to it.
SERVICE EXCELLENCE & VICTIM AID
During the TRM, a review of police station visitors’ complaints is undertaken. Since September 1, 2018, a tablet has been distributed to each police station and two police personnel have been trained on the system called ‘Service Excellence & Victim Assistance (SEVA)’.
The details of every person visiting the police station are recorded in the system. Till November 15, a total of 10,197 persons visited the police stations and only 232 of them were not satisfied with the police service. During the TRM, all these persons were contacted by senior police officers and their issues resolved.
The police station officials have been instructed to resolve people’s issues at their level so that they don’t have to run from pillar to post.
GPS IN ALL POLICE VANS
Since September, GPS has been installed in all police vans which helps in their easy tracking. Thus, the nearest vehicle is dispatched when a distress call is received by the police control room.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING
The Pune city police have been imparting training to their police personnel at all ranks in Emotional Intelligence (EI). The training focuses on EI for personal effectiveness. The move comes as policemen are often criticised for handling unruly situations, crowd or individuals without proper emotional understanding, though their actions may be legally correct. This often portrays a negative image of the police in public, despite the personnel having knowledge and skills to tackle the situation in a lawful manner.
ENFORCING TRAFFIC RULES
DCP (Traffic) Tejaswi Satpute is leading the traffic branch in enforcing the rules. Every day, hundreds of people are being challaned for not obeying traffic rules. The cops have also taken up counselling of thousands of motorists who flout the rules. Often people are seen arguing with traffic cops. In order to avoid confrontations, the traffic branch has got 17 body cameras and soon the numbers will be increased. WhatsApp groups of officials from different departments have been formed for easy flow of information. Also, 104 busy junctions have been identified and declared ‘no traffic rule violation zone’.
REORGANISATION OF CRIME BRANCH
Police Commissioner Venkatesham has merged several units of the Crime Branch. “Empowerment, Responsibility & Accountability (ERA) principles are the foundation for the reorganisation of Crime Branch. Will work with greater commitment & for higher outcomes in terms of crime control with the collaboration of Punekars in 2019,” tweeted Venkatesham on Monday.
The Anti-Dacoity Cell, Anti-Organised Crime Cell (2 units), Homicide Squad, Anti-Vehicle Theft Squad, Property Cell have been merged with the Social Security Cell (SSC), Crime Branch units 1 to 5, Anti-Extortion Cell and other units. Police officials said that the merger will streamline their work as there used to be the duplication of work.
There is also a Bharosa Cell under the Crime Branch which will have three separate departments for senior citizens, women and children, who are victims of crimes, with all three categories being dealt with under one roof.
The Cyber Crime Cell has helped people get a refund of over Rs five crore this year, which they had lost to fraudsters.
