Blueprint for police commissioner system in Lucknow, Noida ready

As the Uttar Pradesh government is set to roll out the police commissioner system in Lucknow and Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida), the state police authorities have prepared

As the Uttar Pradesh government is set to roll out the police commissioner system in Lucknow and Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida), the state police authorities have prepared an outline for the system with inspector general (IG) of police-rank official to be posted as police commissioner (CP), who will be assisted by two additional CPs.

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In the existing police system in Lucknow and Noida, the top police authority in the district is senior superintendent of police (SSP) rank officer, who is two ranks junior to the IG.

The state government has not posted SSPs in Lucknow and Noida after it fell vacant as SSP Lucknow Kalanidhi Naithani was transferred as SSP Ghaziabad and SSP Noida Vaibhav Krishna was suspended for violation of services rules on Thursday.

Sources in the state government said the police commissioner system has almost been finalised after which all administrative decisions will be taken by the police and not by the district magistrates, as it is been done so far. They said the CP will be head in this system and two additional CPs, for administration and law and order, will assist him.

“Under section 4 of the Indian police Act of 1861, the district magistrate has certain powers over the police. Additionally, the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr PC) gives some powers to regulate law and order to the executive magistrates. In the police commissioner system, these powers are exercised by the police officers,” stated a senior police official at the state police headquarters.

He added the police commissioners have the powers of executive magistrate or district magistrate for at least 10 Acts, including the Indian Explosives’ Act, POISONS’ ACT, Mental Health Act, Police (Incitement of Disaffection Act),Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Immoral Traffic (Preventive Act), Arms Act, SARAIS ACT, Cinematographer Act and the Child Marriage Restrain Act.

Explaining the hierarchy of police commissioner system, the official said additional CPs will be of the rank of deputy IGs while as many as six to ten SP rank officers, at the post of deputy commissioner of police, will be posted under them for different regions and administrative jobs.

“In case of Lucknow, the deputy commissioners of police are likely to be posted in the district’s five regions, including east, west, trans-Gomti, north and rural area while five others Will Be Posted on administrative posts as deputy commissioners for crime branch, traffic regulation, Vidhan Sabha security, high court security and protocol,” he said.

“So far additional SPs (including Indian Police Services as well as Provincial Police Services officers) are posted to head all ten regions and administrative jobs,” he added.

The official said officers of Provincial Police Services (PPS), including additional SPs and deputy SPs, will be posted as assistant CPs under them.

Notably, the police commissioner system exists in around 71 cities (other than Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) across 15 states in the country.

The previous state governments had also contemplated introducing the system in districts where the population exceeded 20 lakh but it could not materialize as IAS and IPS officers were at loggerheads over the issue.

HIERARCHY IN CP SYSTEM

Commissioner of police

Additional or joint commissioners

Deputy commissioners of police (DCP)

Assistant commissioners (ACP)

Police inspectors

Sub-inspectors

Constables