The Mumbai Police Commissioner AN Roy has admitted with rare candour that in the past 18 months, as many as 26 policemen at various levels were dismissed from service for criminal activities and gross indiscipline.
MUMBAI: The Mumbai Police Commissioner AN Roy has admitted with rare candour that in the past 18 months, as many as 26 policemen at various levels were dismissed from service for criminal activities and gross indiscipline.
“This is a record of sorts considering the action the city police has taken against its own ilk in over 15 years,” he pointed out.
Roy stated that this is in addition to other forms of departmental action initiated against the men in uniform, including suspension from service - a record 22 in a single month for November 2005. Speaking to DNA on plans and prospects for the police in 2006 here on Monday, Roy however declined to term this as a ‘cleansing’ process to purge the city police of its undesirable staffers.
“This is part of our efforts to further professionalise the force,” he said. The commissioner admitted that dismissal from service — under Article 311 (ii) of the Constitution — is an extreme step but the Mumbai Police has ruthlessly exercised it in many cases in the past year and half.
In this, the department enjoyed the complete support and backing of the State Home Ministry, he said.
Roy, however, lamented that since these are matters concerning men in uniform, any act of indiscipline on their part made media headlines. “The people’s expectation from police are very higher. This was evident after the public outcry in the Sunil More rape case in April 2005 at Marine Drive, followed by other such incidents.
Roy claimed that the intentions behind these were purely to imbibe professionalism in the force and improve its overall functioning and efficiency.
“Simultaneously, the message is loud and clear. We mean business. The slightest of indiscipline, misconduct — even remotely bordering on criminal conduct, or doubtful bonafides — will be dealt with most severely,” Roy said.
The department has undertaken counselling programmes, stress management seminars, yoga classes and art of living courses which has already covered over 20,000 officials so far, and still continuing to cover the rest. Those found out as habitual alcoholics or having fallen to other vices are closely monitored, never sent out alone on assignments, and professionally counselled to change — or face action.
The results had already started showing in terms of improved detection, a greater co-ordination between departments and police stations and a higher rate of solving major crimes, Roy said.
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