Police commissioner has issued a circular, instructing senior officers to take permission from the deputy commissioner's office, before requesting for any police paraphernalia
Police commissioner has issued a circular, instructing senior officers to take permission from the deputy commissioner's office, before requesting for any police paraphernalia
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Nothing works like a bit of public embarrassment. After MiD DAY's report exposed the rampant misuse of police resources by a top cop in the state, Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik has issued a circular across police ranks, proscri- bing senior police officers from taking advantage of their position and using police manpower and resources for their personal convenience.
In its report '15 cops on duty at hospital for IG's in-law,' (September 28), MiD DAY had exposed how special IG, RK Sahay, had deployed a crew of 15 policemen at Tata Memorial hospital, at the beck and call of his ailing father-in-law, a cancer patient.
The circular, issued on October 24, strictly prohibits officers across the city from using wireless devices, police vehicles and manpower, without taking prior permission from the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police.
According to sources, the commissioner had taken note of the fact that several officers and staff members on the police rolls have been using police vehicles for their personal use. Until Recently, Patnaik's stenographer Anuradha Venkateshan used the department's vehicle to ferry herself from home to office, till it was allegedly stolen from her building compound.
The circular also points out that the Azad Maidan police guesthouse was rented to members of the general public illegally.
Departmental inquiries have revealed that some of the senior police inspectors have been frequently sending the constables in their respective stations to run personal errands for them.
"This is a disciplinary force. The constables who are recruited in the force have certain aspirations. It is unacceptable that their energy and potential is wasted at the very beginning of their careers," said an officer from the CP's office.
Though appreciated by a majority of the force, Patnaik's measures have disgruntled some of the officers.
"Some of the staff members have complained that it will be very difficult for them to undertake their duties and conduct operations under such limitation," added the officer.
"We will have to make repeated visits to the DCP's office, to take permission for the pettiest of matters. It is impossible for us to function this way," said an officer from one of the police stations in South Mumbai.
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