Lucknow, Noida switch to police commissioner system

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday switched to the commissionerate system of policing for Lucknow and Noida, giving magisterial powers to the top cops in both cities.

State capital Lucknow and UP's economic capital Noida will now have an additional director general-level officer as police commissioner, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told reporters after chairing the meeting of the state Cabinet that took the decision.

A little later, the government announced the names of the state's first police commissioners -- IPS officer Sujit Pandey for Lucknow and Alok Singh for Noida.

The system is already in place in several cities across the country including New Delhi and gives more powers, including magisterial powers, to police officers.

"For the last 50 years there was a demand for strengthening of law and order and smart policing. But due to lack of political will, this work could not be done for so many years, Adityanath said.

He said the courts put police in the dock for not taking timely action. We have taken the biggest step towards the reform of the police department, he added.

The functioning of the commissioner system in the two cities will be reviewed after six months, he said.

Under the new system 40 police stations in Lucknow will be under the police commissioner, who will have a team of two inspector general-rank officers as joint commissioners, nine superintendent of police-rank officers, an SP-rank woman officer and an ASP-rank woman officer, the chief minister said.

The two women officers will deal exclusively with cases related to crime against women.

Under the ADG-rank officer as commissioner in Noida, there will be two DIGs, five SPs, an SP-rank woman officer and an ASP-rank officer for traffic control.

According to the 2011 census, Lucknow had a population of around 29 lakh that now has reached 40 lakh. The population of Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) was 16 lakh then and is now 25 lakh, Adityanath said.

The Cabinet also approved setting up two new police stations in Noida, he said.

A network of CCTV cameras will also be set up in these two districts, he said.

Asked if other major cities in the state will also switch to the police commissioner system, the CM said whatever steps are needed for better law and order will be taken.

Uttar Pradesh police chief O P Singh welcomed the move that gives the police commissioner the powers of an executive magistrate, saying under the earlier system the police had to depend on the district administration.

The Cabinet also approved seven other proposals.

Among these was the revision of expenditure on four-laning of the Sonauli-Gorakhpur-Deoria-Ballia road and the transfer of municipal land in Bareilly for the construction of a prison.