BHUBANESWAR:The IPS officers of the State appear to be unanimous in their views on establishment of an ethics and accountability cell in State Police Headquarters to monitor behaviour at the senior level of the force.
The issue was discussed during the opening day of Senior Police Officers’ conference here on Tuesday. After the presentation on ethical behaviour among police, the matter was taken up for discussion and it was felt that an internal vigilance mechanism must be put in place to address the issue.
Sources said, some officers suggested that there must be provision for a recurring fund at the police station level to meet their day-to-day expenses. In Telangana, police stations in rural areas get Rs 25,000 each, those in towns get Rs 50,000 whereas urban police stations are allocated Rs 75,000. Lack of such financial arrangements breeds corruption.
In Odisha, there is a provision for imprest money which requires police to produce vouchers for expenditure that means a lot more paperwork. It was decided that the procedural hurdles would be minimised.
Financial integrity apart, integrity in functioning was also debated and police officers were asked not to act under pressure. Partisan behaviour of police is both caused by lack of financial integrity as well as outside pressure and young officers sought to know how this can be addressed. The emphasis was on following the norm. Political pressure on police and how to resist the same was also debated.
Another major point of discussion was to brace up for the ensuing urban body polls in October followed by Assembly and Lok Sabha elections next year.The senior police officers were unanimous in their view that the polls would pose a challenge since political violence is likely to witness a spurt given the competitive nature of politics in the State.
It was generally felt that law and order situation is well under control in the State and all major events passed off smoothly. The panchayat polls, two major sports events like Asian Athletic Championships and World Hockey League apart, Bijepur by-poll were also conducted smoothly by the State Police.
Issues discussed at conference
Provision for recurring fund at police station level to meet day-to-day expenses proposed
Police stations in Telangana get financial aid and helps in checking corruption
In Odisha, there is a provision for imprest money. Decision taken to minimise procedural hurdles
Police officers asked not to act under pressure, emphasis laid on following the norm
Political pressure on police and how to resist the same was also debated
Challenges for ensuing urban body polls in October followed by Assembly and Lok Sabha elections next year were also discussed