Set up welcome desks, offer water to citizens: Police chief

The recently appointed commissioner of police (CP) Param Bir Singh on Wednesday held a meeting with officers, in which he directed all police stations in the city

The recently appointed commissioner of police (CP) Param Bir Singh on Wednesday held a meeting with officers, in which he directed all police stations in the city to set up a welcome desk with two constables to greet those coming to the station.

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Singh also urged police stations to monitor the activities of local offenders who are considered at risk of committing serious crimes.

After taking charge as Mumbai’s CP, Singh on Wednesday presided over his first crime conference with police officers of all 92 police stations in Mumbai as well as units of the crime branch in attendance. Singh said he would not tolerate any kind of misbehaviour and warned errant officers of stringent action.

“When the public approach the police station, they should feel that they are welcome and we, as members of the police force, must be genuinely concerned about the issues faced by them,” Singh told HT. “I have specifically said that every police station must have welcome desks and policemen present in the station to meet complainants politely so they feel free to talk to officers. We should ask them [complainants] if they want water and guide them properly,” he said.

Singh also assured officers that they had his complete support to ensure they were able to discharge their duty diligently. A police inspector who attended the meeting said the new CP had told crime branch officers that apprehending local goons was as important as catching high-profile criminals like gangsters. Smaller criminals should not become bigger gangsters with the passage of time, Singh said.

The CP also asked officers to draw up a list of 20 local offenders involved in serious crimes like murder, attempted murder, grievous assault and molestation cases in areas under their jurisdiction.

Singh said strict preventive action should be taken against these criminals.

Previously, Singh had served as commissioner of Thane Police, whose crime branch had solved several cases whose impact was felt beyond Maharashtra. “If Thane crime branch can bust such cases, why not the Mumbai police crime branch, which is known across the country for its investigative skills?” Singh told HT.