Shed lethargy, Delhi police chief tells officers

By Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan

New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) A day after Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal did some plain-speak with the Delhi Police over the worsening crime situation in the national capital, police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik told his team of IPS officers to get cracking on the basic policing, asking them to shed lethargic attitude.

In the two-hour meeting, held at the police headquarters, 15 Deputy Commissioners of Police were told by the Commissioner that SHOs of those police stations under whose jurisdiction serious crimes are reported should be ready to face consequences.

Sources said the police officers were told that media could not be blamed for reporting rising crime incidents as "only reported crime is published".

The meeting was also attended by special commissioners (law & order) of all six ranges and 15 assistant commissioners. The discussions centred on daylight robberies and shootouts, sources said.

"Only basic policing can help in curbing the kind of crime taking place in Delhi. The 'beat system' in police stations should be activated immediately. Negligence should not be tolerated," Commissioner Patnaik told the police officers.

Sources told IANS that the Lt Governor had held a meeting with the Commissioner on Thursday, where he expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the national capital. "Today's meeting of the Commissioner with police officers was an extension of the exchange between Baijal and Patnaik," police sources told IANS.

Despite repeated attempts by IANS, there was no official response from Delhi Police spokesperson Manjit Singh Randhawa on what transpired at the top-level police officers' meeting.