Exclusive centres to register FIRs

 Police will open exclusive centres for registering First Information Reports (FIRs) across Bangalore, Commissioner of Police M N Reddi said here on Thursday, hoping that the move would instil confidence in citizens and reduce the burden on police stations. 

“The police have to handle three important procedures: receiving, registering and investigating a complaint in a professional manner. The delay in registering FIRs at police stations may be because of work overload. We will establish FIR centres or kiosks in different parts of the City that will only register the FIRs. There will be an inter-connected system in which the FIRs registered will reach the jurisdictional police station for investigation.

By this, the crime graph might rise a bit, but if proper investigation follows, the graph will automatically come down. I think this is a healthy way of controlling crime,” Reddi said during an interaction at ‘Meet the Press’ organised by the Press Club of Bangalore.

The commissioner stressed that Bangalore was safe from the law and order point of view, but crimes needed to be checked. 

“We need to restrategise to control chian-snatchings, robberies, vehicle thefts, house break-ins and thefts. Chain-snatchings are a priority. I am holding meeting with officials on developing the creative beat and naka bandi system. One of  the mechanisms is to gain area domination in station limits.

 We will also assess place, time and victim details of the previous incidents. Gangs are coming to the City from faraway places, even flying in. They stay at resorts and go an a chain-snatching spree. I have instructed the personnel to keep tabs on habitual offenders, whether they are absconding or in prison,” he said.

Reddi announced that any gang, which had been charge-sheeted in the last 10 years, would be booked under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime, Act (KCOCA). “We have invoked the KCOCA against the notorious gang of vehicle lifters which was arrested recently. The KCOCA is a tough Act given the admissibility of confessional statement of the accused and bleak chance of getting bail,” Reddi said.

Reiterating that rowdies will be dealt with sternly, he said that they would be put under surveillance. “We have analysed the information on rowdy situation and 10,000 more anti-social elements will be added to history-sheets by the end of this month. These rowdies are outside our radar. We have already booked 10-15 rowdies under the Goonda Act. I want to reassure that strict action will be taken if anybody uses force to evict any person from any property without court order. The list of rowdies includes real estate rowdies,” Reddi said. 

Community policing 

The commissioner said all previous community policing schemes would be revisited in the coming days. “We want to reach out to the community in a big way. We have initiated community policing in association with the NGO Janaagraha at six police stations. More police stations will be added under this scheme. Neighbourhood watch, communal policing and several such schemes will be revisited,” Reddi said.