DSP-rank officers get teeth
Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 7
The police have taken a lead in defining the duties and function of Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO). The functions of an SDPO were not defined and the critical supervision unit was underutilised in the absence of well-demarcated rules and duties.
As the SDPO office is not an old phenomenon, the Police Rules 1861 do not recognise it and even the centaury old Punjab Police rules do not talk about the SDPO institutions. However, Section 79 of the Himachal Pradesh Police Act 2007 talks about supervision by sub-divisional police officers.
Empowering SDPOs, the Police Department has released the charter of responsibilities who were earlier restricted to investigations only, said DGP Somesh Goyal, adding that the move would increase the accountability of the DSP-rank officers posted in the SDPO office. At present, there were 24 officers.
As per the charter, the SDPO will now be entrusted with the duties of detection of crime, collection of evidence, maintenance of law and order, traffic regulations, community policing, CCTNS maintenance, disciplining the force, human resources functions, checking of premises for petroleum products and explosives and logistics.
Goyal said in 1998-99 as DIG Mandi range, he had made efforts and issued circular in this regard but there was no concrete result. However, now a charter defining the duties and responsibilities had been released.
Focus on drug menace
The police have issued the 100-day strategy to curb drug menace in the state. The strategy focuses on eradicating drugs at the root cultivation stage by preventive enforcement and financial investigations. Vigil is being kept on the porous roads and border areas to keep a tab on smuggling of drugs, Goyal said.
The police will start a campaign against drugs in schools and colleges from August 8 where students would be informed about the ill-effects of drug consumption, besides guiding them on how to prepare for police and allied examinations.
Cases registered under the NDPS have shot up from 513 in 2012 to 573 in the first six months of 2017. The year 2016 was exceptional when 929 cases were registered as the government cracked down on the drug mafia.
