RAIPUR: For the first time in the country two police stations in the Maoist-affected Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh qualified to achieve the ISO certification on meeting the specified parameters on policing and related scope of activities.
Bhopalpatnam and Madded - the earlier fortified police thana, in restive Bijapur about 350 km south of Raipur have been found to be in accordance with the requirements of the Quality Management System ISO 9001:2015 certification on maintenance of law and order, prevention & detection of crime, establishing peace and tranquility and achieving the other policing activities in their respective areas. Both the police stations are functioning in naxal epicentre, Madded is 40 km and Bhopalpatnam about 60 km away from the district headquarters.
"This is indeed a historic achievement for the Bastar police. For the first time the two police stations in any left-wing extremism (LWE) area in the country got the ISO certificates. The people-centric approach and the initiatives taken under the community policing to win the heart and minds of masses by the Bastar police were equally instrumental in achieving the given aim and the people's-friendly policing. Gradually we will see more police stations with such certification", the Bastar range inspector general of police Vivekanand Sinha told the Express. Such certification is given by International Standards Organisation (ISO) based in Geneva.
"ISO is just a means for us to upgrade the current infrastructure. We were eager to change the perception about this region and of the police station. To think something beyond naxalism. People should feel comfortable coming to the police thana", said the Bijapur superintendent of police Mohit Garg.
The staff in the police station were being trained particularly on the conduct and record maintenance. There are around 21 parameters, including police-specific ones, which needs to fulfilled to acquire the ISO certification for the police station. There is a library, children play area, open gymnasium, separate waiting space for men and women, better ambience, adequate arrangement for the staff to take rest, suitable parking area, computer rooms, separate washrooms besides other usual sections of police station. There are 21 police stations in Bijapur."
The certificate is valid for a period of three years but there will be surveillance audits every year of each of these thanas. And any police station found to be losing the focus on the stipulated scope of activities, the certification will stand cancelled. So every staff of the two thanas remain geared-up in their endeavour to abide by the requirements on the quality management system", the Bijapur SP told the Express. Bijapur is among the seven Maoist-affected district in the conflict zone of Bastar in south Chhattisgarh.