The Hindu : Too busy for investigations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 14, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Too busy for investigations

RALLIES, DEMONSTRATIONS, public meetings, and VVIP visits have affected routine policing and crime investigation by most police stations in the Central Division of the Bangalore police. As the regular work is suffering, there seems to be a case for enhancing the staff strength of the affected police stations and creating a special force to handle rallies and demonstrations in the city.

The Vidhana Soudha, Raj Bhavan, High Court, a large number of bungalows of Ministers, government guest houses, stadiums, and star hotels are under the division, and the jurisdictional police are, most of the time, busy making security arrangements.

Most demonstrations are held near K.R. Circle, Basaveshwara Circle, Mysore Bank Circle, Hudson Circle, Mahatma Gandhi statue, and the Chief Minister's residence — all under the Central Division. The number of rallies and public functions, which include sports meets and mega music programmes held at Palace Grounds, has increased, and the overburdened police have not been able to concentrate on routine policing and crime investigation.

As maintaining law and order is important, adequate personnel have to be deployed to prevent untoward incidents during demonstrations and public functions, where thousands of people gather, police officers point out.

According to officers of the Central Division, the police personnel in the division are often put on security duty, and routine policing is affected. It has also become difficult to give adequate attention to maintenance of records at police stations, they say.

"Most of the time, inspectors and sub-inspectors are tired after completing security assignments during VVIP visits. They are not in a position to apply their minds to investigation and guide their subordinates in crime-related work. Investigations, therefore, suffer badly," an officer says.

A senior officer who has worked in the Central Division suggests that younger officers who can withstand the pressure of work be posted to the division. Some officers feel that the Government should ban rallies and demonstrations in a radius of 3 km. from the Vidhana Soudha.

Political parties should be made to hold rallies in other parts of the city to prevent traffic jams in the busy central areas and reduce the burden on the Central Division police, according to them.

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Too busy for investigations