Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram   

Firms hiring `goondas' will be booked: DGP

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Dec. 30. The Director General of Police, Hormese Tharakan, has warned of stringent action against firms, such as money lending outfits and hire purchase agencies, that use `goondas' for various ends.

In a chat with mediapersons after inaugurating the District Passport Cell at the office of the Superintendent of Police (Rural) in the city today, Mr. Tharakan said the police would book the proprietors of firms who hire `goonda' elements for abetment of crime. He made it clear that the arms of the police would be extended beyond the `goonda' elements to nab those who sponsored such elements.

The DGP said the hand-in-hand growth of urbanisation and crime was not an unusual phenomenon. However, he claimed that the recent spurt in criminal activities, particularly those involving youth, had come down after sustained crackdown measures by the police.

Mr. Tharakan said the Kerala Marines unit was expected to be set up as a specialised wing under the police department on the lines of the Armed Police Battalion by April. The selection process of 40 candidates to man four police stations of the Kerala Marines unit was under progress. These units would not only provide backup support for police in tackling `knotty' law and order situations but also patrol the coastline.

Mr. Tharakan said the bifurcation of policing into law and order and crime investigation streams was proceeding on a trial basis. In fact, the bifurcation of the department to tackle law and order and crime separately was one of the recommendations of the National Police Commission. However, the exercise would be continued or extended to other areas only after thoroughly evaluating the practicality of implementation here. He said the police department, as a whole, and the traffic wing, in particular, was grossly understaffed. The manpower shortage and other constraints of the police force had been presented before the Twelfth Finance Commission. He hoped that the Commission would take a favourable stand on the problem.

The proposed Goonda Act would be finalised only after a thorough study of the crime profile of the State, the DGP said. The exercise would not be a mere replication of the Acts that were already in force in other States, he said. The State Crime Records Bureau had already been notified as a cyber police station, he said.

The District Passport Cell is the seventh to be set up in the State to expedite the processing of passport applications and police verification. The Passport Cell is expected to eliminate touts and middlemen and reduce the wait-period for passports. The police verification procedures would be completed within 10 days, while according to the Ministry of External Affairs guidelines; the issuance of a passport is 21 working days from the date of receipt of an application.

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