Quest for a Safe Kolkata
ON ALERT 24 X 7
By R.K. Pachnanda, Special Commissioner of Police (I)

Special Commissioner of Police (I) R. K. Pachnanda has begun his illustrious career with his first posting as SDPO Uluberia. A first class Economics graduate from Delhi's famed St. Stephens College, Pachnanda is a Gold Medalist in LL.B and practised as a lawyer in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. But his ultimate calling, namely the Indian Police Service (IPS), eventually caught up with the lawyer, whose father was in the Army, and who, as a young lad, had always been enamoured by the uniform. He had earlier occupied positions of responsibility in Kolkata Police, SPG, CBI and BSF. In an interview with the Kolkata PROTECTOR, Pachnanda, who now looks after Law & Order, Security, Police arrangements, and various other key departments, talks about security steps being taken by Kolkata Police. Excerpts.

• Kolkata Police strives hard to ensure the safety and security of the city of Kolkata. There are 48 police stations in the city (each headed by an officer-in-charge) and five divisions (each headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police). Entry and exit points to the city are kept under periodic watch to prevent unwanted movement of potential anti-socials. Each police station has at least one point where vehicles are checked to prevent unwanted entry of criminals and terrorists or to intercept them. Within police station areas, the O/Cs ensure continuous motorcycle patrolling and supervise the E-Beat System. We have CCTVs located at various intersections and vantage points of the city to monitor the movement of people and vehicles. Guest houses are regulary checked for suspicious people. Cyber cafes are constantly kept under scrutiny. To prevent terrorists and anti-socials seeking hide-outs in residential areas, it is now mandatory to fill in a Tenant Profile From available at police stations and inform the officer-in-charge in writing before letting out any property. Around 105 Kolkata police kiosks all over the city act as immediate responders to anyone who cannot reach the police station regarding complaints of crime, taxi refusals and other law and order issues.
• Regular drills are held to assess the response of the CP Reserve, Commandos, Special Action Force and Rapid Action Force. The River Traffic Police (RTP) supervises the security of the reverine border by regular patrolling. It is also deployed during immersions after the Pujas where the Disaster Management Group also assists the RTP in this effort. The police stations, at their level, carry out regular block raids to arrest criminals, rowdies and anti-socials and to execute warrants, seize illicit liquor and take action. Continuous patrolling, cluster security and placement of static guards are measures that supplement the protection of iconic structures, religious places, malls, market places, hospitals, metro stations, consulates, business establishments and other sensitive locations. We are insisting upon CCTVs being installed at malls, market places, hotels and other office and residential buildings to deter potential terrorists and criminals.
• Quick Response Teams (QRTs) are located at strategic points to respond immediately to and /or intercept any terriost calamity or threat. Regular mock drills are carried out to check reaction time and monitor pre-emptive capabilities; the SAF personnel manning the QRTs are put through regular training. Alertness of the security staff of malls, hotels and other protected places are periodically tested by the police. The private security agencies are also being asked to put their personnel through proper training.
• Meetings are held regularly with market associations, malls, hospitals and hotels to upgrade their security and take a feedback on the compliance of security advisories issued to them by the police. Meetings are also held with schools to upgrade their security by installing CCTVs and other security measures. It was also proposed to start a School Volunteer Group in each school, which could, by rotation, ensure the sanitization of a school and the perimeter around it before school hours by checking for unattended bags or objects, suspiciously parked vehicles or lurking persons. Meetings have been held with oil companies and petrol pump associations to impress upon them the need to install CCTVs so that we have a record of people in and around Kolkata who have issued POL from the stations. Advisories and circulars are continuously disseminated to high-rises to install CCTVs and check requisite security measures for their inhabitants, followed by meetings with Deputy Commissioners of Police and O/Cs.
• Kolkata Police has a Contingency Plan for disaster management, which proved effective during AILA. We also have a Crisis Management Plan for terrorist attacks and other disasters. Regular drills and exercises are held to test reactions in case of a contingency.
• To educate and brief the public, we have an active publicity campaign on security through advertisements in newspapers, hoardings, leaflets, and security advisories. This will also, in due course, be done through celluloid. The Kolkata Police website is upgraded to brief the public about the dos and don'ts of security. The recently started Kolkata Police Blog - www.kolkata-cops.com - has been successful in eliciting a proactive feedback from the public.
• Our efforts for foolproof security cannot be successful without the unstinted support from the citizens, who have always cooperated during checkings - throughout the year and especially during the Pujas when they have had to wait for hours before they could reach the pandals. We have nurtured community policing projects such as Nabadisha (for the education, medical treatment and nutrition of street children in 38 police stations), Probaho (weekly blood donation camps at police stations), the Para Police Friendship Tournament and the “Green Police” project, through which we get a feel of the pulse of the people of Kolkata. Project “Kiran” is to impart computer training to children in various areas. “Inter school football tournaments” and Pulse Polio Programmes are regularly held.
It has always been our unflinching resolve to protect the citizens of Kolkata. Since the public are equal stake holders in a peaceful Kolkata, we wanted their unstinted support to assist us in this endeavor by following our security advisories and informing of anything untoward or any strange or suspicious activity. Their identity will be kept secret. Our enduring effort in the quest for a peaceful Kolkata has to be joint. We have every confidence that this combined resolve will keep Kolkata safe.