Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday announced a major overhaul of the state's policing system with the launch of the 'My Police Station' initiative from August 15, under which sub-inspectors will be appointed as SHOs in the majority of police stations.
Addressing a press conference here, Chennithala said the initiative was aimed at transforming police stations into people-friendly institutions and marked a "historic transformation" for the Kerala Police by strengthening democratic and community-oriented policing.
As part of the reform, the government has decided to appoint Sub-Inspectors as Station House Officers in 419 of the state's 484 law and order police stations from August 15, reversing the previous government's decision to entrust the responsibility to Circle Inspectors .
Circle Inspectors will continue as SHOs in 64 strategically important police stations, while the Deputy Superintendent of Police will continue to head the Mullaperiyar police station, considering its strategic importance, he said.
Chennithala said the move would provide greater responsibility to young officers joining the force directly as Sub Inspectors, enhancing their leadership skills, decision-making ability and overall efficiency.
He said the restructuring would also strengthen the concept of people-centric policing by making police stations more accessible and accountable to the public.
{{/usCountry}}He said the restructuring would also strengthen the concept of people-centric policing by making police stations more accessible and accountable to the public.
{{/usCountry}}Notably, 63 police stations across the state will have women Sub Inspectors serving as SHOs, he said.
To ensure effective supervision of the new system, around 200 police circles will be created under Circle Inspectors, who will guide and monitor the functioning of SHOs, the minister said.
The minister said the primary objective of the 'My Police Station' project was to ensure that every person approaching a police station was treated with dignity and received efficient, time-bound and citizen-friendly services.
Another key objective of the initiative is to completely eliminate custodial crimes, including custodial deaths and custodial torture, he said.
Describing custodial crimes as among the most uncivilised practices anywhere in the world, Chennithala said the use of third-degree methods was illegal and inhuman, and stressed that the means adopted by the police to establish a crime were as important as proving the offence itself.
As part of the implementation plan, all newly appointed SHOs will undergo orientation training, which will subsequently be extended in phases to all police station personnel.
Supervisory officers, including Circle Inspectors, Deputy Superintendents of Police and officers above them, will also undergo specialised training, he said.
The minister said supervisory officers should maintain healthy relations with both the public and subordinate officers, prevent situations arising from unnecessary workplace pressure, including those leading to suicides, and remain updated on technological advancements to improve policing.
He said the training would also equip the force to deal more effectively with emerging high-tech crimes, including loan app frauds and other cyber crimes. A dedicated mechanism headed by the Inspector General of Police is already functioning for this purpose, he added.
Chennithala also said the two-decade-old Janamaithri Suraksha Project would be revamped as part of the reforms, noting that the community policing initiative had become largely mechanical over the years.
An independent feedback mechanism would form another key component of the project, under which Range Deputy Inspectors General of Police would collect feedback from every police station under their jurisdiction each month and recommend corrective measures based on periodic assessments.
The Additional Director General of Police will function as the coordinator of the 'My Police Station' project under the supervision of the State Police Chief, who will submit a monthly progress report on the implementation of the scheme to the government, Chennithala added.
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