Police Commissionerate system will be introduced in capital

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday said the Police Commissionerate system will be introduced in the state capital complex to improve the law and order situation.

Once the commissionerate system is introduced in the state capital, there would be a visible change in the law and order situation within a year, the chief minister said.

"The commissionerate system will enable effective policing in a capital complex area such as Itanagar, which is growing at a fast pace with diverse culture living side by side," Khandu said at the all-party meeting which was convened by him to discuss the commissionerate system.

"Itanagar-Naharlagun is the face of our state. So it is necessary to maintain peace and order in the capital complex to achieve meaningful development," he said, according to an official communique.

Home Minister Bamang Felix said the new system will provide better accountability as responsibility will be fixed directly on the police department eliminating all chances for blame game between civil administration and the police in the event of any policing failure.

Earlier, explaining the rationale for a commissionerate system in capital complex, Director General of Police R P Upadhyay said the new system would enable swift and unified action giving no chance for delayed action.

"The proposed new police command system in the capital complex will be headed by a Commissioner of Police (DIG rank or higher) to be assisted by numbers of DCP (SP rank) and ACP (DySP rank).

Representatives from different political parties including Indian National Congress, Janata Dal (United), National Peoples Party, Peoples Party of Arunachal and Independent MLAs expressed their views on the commissionerate system and extended support for its implementation.

The all-party meeting also discussed on possibilities for a non-party system in the upcoming panchayat elections.

Khandu said that a non-party system would enable best leaders to be given chance and preserve community camaraderie, the communique added.