Deven Bharti takes charge as Mumbai Police Commissioner

AMID intense speculation senior IPS officer Deven Bharti has officially taken charge as the new Mumbai Police Commissioner succeeding Vivek Phansalkar who retired on Wednesday Speaking shortly after assuming office Bharti outlined his vision for a more connected and technologically equipped police forceldquoMy top priority is to ensure that the police reach every individual in the cityrdquo Bharti stated in his first address to the media ldquoWe will work to bridge the gap between the police and the common citizen At the same time we will remain highly vigilant about cybercrimerdquo Stressing on a combined approach of prevention and enforcement he noted that as digital usage grows so does its misuse making cybercrime one of the most urgent challenges of modern policingHe added that Mumbai police has already begun integrating artificial intelligence AI into its systems to monitor and track criminal activity more efficiently ldquoWe are not just chasing criminalsmdashwe are using technology to stop crime before it happensrdquo he assertedDeven BhartiThis new chapter in Mumbairsquos law enforcement comes after Bharti served as the first Special Commissioner of Police in the city since January 2023mdasha post created to accommodate him The Commissioner of Police CP post was originally of the Additional Director General ADG rank and was upgraded in 2015 by the Home Department headed by Devendra Fadnavis to accommodate the welldeserving Ahmed Javed He succeeded Rakesh Maria who was the last CP holding the ADG rank Now after a decade the post has once again been downgraded to the ADG rank to accommodate BhartiAbout Deven BhartiA 1994 batch IPS officer Bharti is one of the most experienced and respected officers in Maharashtrarsquos police force His policing journey began far from Mumbaimdashin the Naxalaffected district of Gadchiroli where he was first posted as Additional Superintendent of Police ASP He later served as SP in Gadchiroli Amravati and Akola building his credentials in complex and sensitive environmentsBetween 1998 and 2003 Bharti served on deputation with the Intelligence Bureau gaining deep insights into national security and intelligence operations His entry into Mumbai police came in 2003 as Deputy Commissioner of Police Special Branch II He later became DCP Detection in the Crime Branchmdasha critical investigative role Since then Mumbai has been his primary base of serviceOver nearly three decades Bharti has held some of the most critical posts in the cityrsquos police hierarchy Additional Commissioner of Crime Joint Commissioner of Police Law and Order and later Joint CP in the Economic Offences Wing Between 2015 and 2019 he held one of the longest stints as Joint CP Law and Order reinforcing his command over Mumbairsquos complex law and order landscapeBharti also served as Maharashtrarsquos AntiTerrorism Squad ATS chief and was managing director of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation during the Maha Vikas Aghadi governmentrsquos tenure which sidelined him He has served as the Special Commissioner of Mumbai police since 2023Key contributionsmajor casesKnown for his tough nononsense style Bharti played a crucial role in investigating the 2611 Mumbai terror attacks and was among the officers entrusted with executing the capital punishment of convicted terrorist Ajmal Kasab Additionally Bharti investigated the highprofile June 2011 murder case of midday journalist J Dey and is also credited with crippling the Indian Mujahideen network in MaharashtraKey challenges for BhartiPahalgam attack aftermath Critical responsibility of maintaining law and orderFear of gangs Keep Bishnoi gangrsquos growing influence and extortion bids in checkThreats to Salman Bishnoi gangrsquos threats against actor Salman Khan present a highprofile security challengeCybercrime Dealing with the surge in cybercrimeCommunal harmony Managing fallout from hate speeches and maintaining communal harmonyExpectationsgtgt Known for his deep understanding of Mumbaimdashgained over more than three decades of policing in the citymdashexpectations are high for how Bharti will navigate this volatile period after the Pahalgam attackgtgt To ensure lapses that led to the Baba Siddiqui murder do not recurgtgt To strengthen digital policing capabilities in rapidly evolving technological landscapegtgt Upholding the Mumbai policersquos legacy of maintaining communal harmony through community engagement initiatives such as Mohalla Committee meetings with religious leaders to promote peace especially amid a charged political atmosphereatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params