The force has black sheep too, but we are tackling it

An interview with Sadanand Date, joint commissioner of police (law and order).

An interview with Sadanand Date, joint commissioner of police (law and order).

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A woman was robbed while travelling in an autorickshaw by two people on a motorbike. Instead of registering an FIR, the Khar police gave her a receipt after she lodged a complaint…
This should not have happened. If it is true, the officer concerned will be taken to task and punished for his failure to register an FIR. I will personally look into the case and ensure that things are expedited.

Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh has instructed all police stations to give top priority to street crimes such as chain snatching and robberies. What has happened on that front?
Like in every organisation, there are black sheep in our organisation too. Burking [when the police do not register complaints] does happen. I am not denying it. We are addressing the issue by punishing those who do it. But at the same time, on an average, complaints are duly registered and investigated.

Any effort to sensitise the force towards public grievances?
In the last crime meeting [with officers of the rank of senior police inspectors and above] it was reiterated that burking won’t be tolerated. We are coming down heavily on officials trying to shirk responsibility. I think this is a clear-cut signal to the force and is also the best sensitisation.

What steps have been taken to ensure safety at public places, especially for women?
We have been following the basic steps such as patrolling streets, deployment of plain clothes and uniformed policemen and additional deployment of personnel whenever required. Apart from that, we also improvise our techniques according to a problem by studying the trend. Such practices are in place at multiple places to ensure safety.