The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Give Police Commissioners magisterial powers: DGP

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Sunday, May 02, 2004

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Kerala - Kochi

Give Police Commissioners magisterial powers: DGP

By Our Staff Reporter

The Director General of Police, P.K. Hormese Tharakan, laying the foundation stone for the proposed police station at Kadavanthra in the city on Saturday.

KOCHI, MAY 1. The City Police Commissioners should be given magisterial powers to tackle complex law and order problems, the DGP, P.K. Hormese Tharakan, has said.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the proposed police station at Kadavanthra here today, he said the Police Commissioners in the four metropolitan cities in India were armed with magisterial powers even before Independence and the Criminal Procedure Code had inbuilt provisions in this regard.

He said without magisterial powers, the Commissioners would only have the same powers that were enjoyed by District Superintendents of Police. Magisterial powers were needed for Commissioners who head the police in cities where the population crosses more than 10 lakh. A police constable and another constable attached to the Railway Protection Force were killed in Kochi during the past six months. The police need more powers to counter hardcore criminals. Policemen at the lower rungs too had to be protected, he said.

Mr. Tharakan alleged that many organisations, especially business groups, were harbouring criminals. Steps were being taken to end this. "The State police is on a modernisation drive, with funds given by the State and Central Governments. New vehicles have been brought and buildings are coming up," he said.

He lauded the gesture shown by the GCDA chairman, Antony Issac, who gave a few cents of GCDA land at Kadavanthra to house the police station there. He also appreciated the work done by police officers in the district. "The new station is coming up in a strategic area in the fast-growing Kochi. With the commissioning of the Rs. 7,500-crore international transhipment and container terminal, Kochi will witness an unprecedented economic boom and the police will have a bigger role to play in the city," he said.

The GCDA chairman, Antony Issac, said the police had been successful in keeping mafia gangs under control in Kochi. "This is mainly because the police began adopting scientific means to keep them under check. Kadavanthra will see unforeseen development in the coming years. The GCDA is willing to give land on a priority basis so that new police stations can be opened in Kochi. The police force has to strengthen itself and increase its efficiency. They have to become people friendly," he said.

The Ernakulam Range DIG, B.S. Mohammed Yasin, said that Kochi city is comparable to places like Mysore and Coimbatore.

"But there are not enough police stations here. Governmental sanction came for the police station in 1994 and policemen were allotted, but it took 10 years for work to begin on the station. The opening of the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, the Indira Gandhi Cooperative Hospital and the indoor stadium necessitate the opening of a police station in Kadavanthra.

It is good that the first marine police base station has been started in Fort Kochi. New police stations are to come up at Vytilla and Udayamperoor," he said.

Mr. Yasin said the DGP gave a facelift to the police force by embarking on a modernisation drive. The Marine Police, Highway Police and Tourism Police have come in handy to the police force, he said.

The IG (Modernisation), M.N. Krishnamoorthy, and the City Police Commissioner, Vinod Thomas, were also present.

The DGP gave reward to the Ernakulam ACP, V.G. Sasidharan, and his team who conducted the investigation into the murder of the RPF constable, E.J. Showry.

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