THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Come January, the police department will do away with its recent practice of posting IG-level officers as city police commissioners to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The decision follows the drop of the government plan to implement the commissionerate system in these two cities, sources told TNIE. Though the commissioners of these two cities formerly used to be officers of the rank of DIGs, they were replaced with IGs as the government began seriously toying with the idea of commissionerate system.
The police commissionerate system envisages the sharing of magisterial powers with commissioners. It was for this purpose that senior IG-level officers were posted to the two cities as commissioners. But with the plan going awry, there was no point in them remaining commissioners, sources said, adding that the decision would be implemented by January.
“Under the circumstance, the best option is to do away with the current policy of posting IG-level officers to helm the two cities. There is no point in keeping an IG as a commissioner as police ranges are now being helmed by DIG-level officers, who are subordinates to the IGs,” sources said.
The sources added that though the government had a favourable view regarding the commissionerate system, the proposal was stiffly opposed by the front’s coalition partner CPI and the IAS lobby. “Several proposals in the draft were discarded and the remaining was diluted to mollify the detractors. But it still failed to find traction among decision-makers,” sources in the police department said. Police insiders hinted that the change would be brought in during the next re-shuffle of senior officials ahead of the assembly elections.
Police nodal officer for 2021 polls
The State Police Chief has nominated ADGP Manoj Abraham as the police nodal officer for the 2021 assembly elections. Armed Battalion ADGP K Padmakumar has been appointed as the police nodal officer for the Central Armed Police Force. Headquarters IG P Vijayan has is the police nodal officer for election expenditure.