New Mumbai Police commissioner shares personal mobile number on Facebook

Sanjay Pandey, who took over as the Mumbai Police commissioner on Monday, is slated to retire in June this year

MUMBAI: In a bid to get a direct communication line with citizens, newly appointed Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey on Wednesday night shared his personal mobile number on Facebook, urging them to contact him directly to share their suggestions, if any, in order to improve the functioning of the force and maintain law and order in the city.

Newly appointed Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey. (ANI Photo)

The top cop addressed his Wednesday’s Facebook post to Mumbaikars and said he shared an emotional relationship with the city where he has worked in various positions for around 10 years.

“Mumbai Police have their own glorious tradition and history. Maybe, Mumbai Police has always been compared to Scotland police. With this background, I have got an opportunity to serve the people of Mumbai Police force as the commissioner. Which is my honour and pride,” he said in the post.

“In these difficult times and in terms of law and order, we will also be facing many difficulties. So, if you feel any improvement (is required) in the working of Mumbai Police force and if you have any suggestions regarding it, please inform me on 9869702747. Sometimes, even the smallest of instructions can make big changes. Hence, we will definitely try to take care of the right instructions and make changes accordingly,” he added

Senior police officers said Pandey, who took charge on Monday, is trying to send a clear message that his small tenure (he is slated to retire in June 2022) would be dedicated towards serving the city and its citizens. His gesture of publicly sharing his personal mobile number also indicates that he would encourage citizen participation in improving the police force’s functioning.

Pandey, who has over 50,800 followers (mostly policemen from across the state), has requested his followers to spread the message.

The 1986-batch Indian Police Service officer tried to reach more people and on Thursday afternoon posted his mobile number on the official Twitter handles of the Mumbai Police Commissioner and the Mumbai Police, which have more than 36 lakh and 50 lakh followers, respectively.

The commissioner posted on Twitter, "While I am familiar with Mumbai, policing has changed from the days when I worked in Mumbai. And it is with this in mind, that I am reaching out to you seeking your support to work towards maintaining safety and security for all in our city of Mumbai, I am sharing my personal number 9869702747. You can always reach out to me on WhatsApp/text messages as well as facebook https://bit.ly/SanjayPandeyFB or Twitter @sanjayp_1. Suggestions big or small are all welcome."

Pandey also said informed citizens that he would respond to all the messages as far as possible and will also share what work the police are doing on a weekly basis on Facebook.