CM Rio inaugurates Sovima PS
Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 5
The tally of full-fledged police stations under the Dimapur Police Commissionerate increased to 12 with the establishment of the Sovima Police Station (PS). The new PS was officially opened on November 5 by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio at an inauguration programme, which also had in attendance Deputy CM, Y Patton alongwith MLA and Advisor for Excise, Sericulture & Minority Affairs, Zhaleo Rio.
Pending the construction of a permanent building, the PS will operate from a building leased by the Department of Youth Resources & Sports, located adjacent to the Nagaland Cricket Stadium. It covers 14 villages, which previously were under the charge of Chümoukedima, Diphupar and Sub-urban police stations, with a combined population of approximately 17,469 (2011 Census).
At the programme, CM Rio admitted to setting up the police station in a place with a relatively low crime rate. But he maintained that it was done keeping in mind a broader objective to protect and secure the important public assets in and around Sovima, including the sports facilities, institutes of higher education and other government assets like the Nagaland Zoological Park. “In addition to the 14 villages under its jurisdiction, it is to see that sports events and the other assets are protected,” he said.
Moreover, he said that the state government is dedicated to promoting sports and does not want to lose out on hosting national and international sports events on grounds of security. “Unless we check criminal activities, no player would come to Nagaland to play games,” he said, while stating that the cricket stadium adjacent to the police station frequently hosts national tournaments of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
While the focus has been to promote sports in general, he noted a comparative lack of women in sports in Nagaland. He encouraged the organizing of more frequent district level tournaments and challenged the youths of the state to play.
The Nagaland Police, he said, has been doing a commendable job. At the same time, he called for sensitivity while dealing with the public and be intolerant to crime.
Deputy Chief Minister, Y Patton stated that with each additional infrastructure comes a corresponding increase in responsibilities. He expressed hope that with the new PS, the services of the state police would be enhanced to serve the security and interest of the citizens under its jurisdiction.
He further emphasised the necessity to address the challenges of information technology. “There is a need for planned upgrading and expertise in the field of cyber security and cyber crime,” he said.
DGP John Longkumer said that police stations are normally established in places deemed as having high crime rate. By establishing a police station in a place with a relatively low crime rate, he said, “We are preempting crime rather.”
Need more personnel
While having more police stations is expected to translate into more police presence and stronger security; for the police personnel, it implies greater workload. But the number of personnel at the disposal of the Commissionerate is reported to inadequate. The Commissioner of Police, Rothihu Tetseo, informed that the existing sanctioned strength of the Commissionerate is 880 for the 12 police stations and RHQ. It includes 18 Sub Inspectors (SI) and 36 Assistant Sub Inspectors (ASI), who are required to serve as investigators as well law and order duties.
Citing the Bureau of Police Research & Development, the CP said that the recommended workforce for a rural police station is 114, including 1 Inspector, 9 SIs and 11 ASIs. For urban police stations, the recommended personnel strength ranges from 166-229 depending on 5-year average of case frequency logged by a police station.
In contrast, as per the data presented by the CP, the posted strength of the Sovima PS is only 23 headed by an SI. East Police Station, in Dimapur, which registers the highest number of cases, annually, has only 65 personnel led by 1 Inspector, 6 SIs and 7 ASIs. “The comparative figures for both rural and urban police stations indicate that the personnel at the disposal of the Police Commissionerate are inadequate. The posted strength, especially of SIs/ASIs and constables are very low as per the recommended figures,” he said.
