BANGALORE: Seeking to calm the nerves of a city reeling under a spate of rapes, M N Reddi, who took over as Police Commissioner on Monday, promised drastic steps to curb sex crimes.
While answering questions about the rape of a six-year-old girl at a Marathahalli school earlier this month, Reddi said every school would be asked to appoint a nodal officer to coordinate with the police. “Meetings of the nodal officers and the police can be held to understand the problems faced by schools,” he said.
The safety of women is a priority, and their problems will be addressed systematically, Reddi maintained. When asked about instances of the police not filing FIRs or attempting to water down charges, Reddi said from now on, the police would file FIRs when they need to.
He also brushed aside allegations that he landed the commissioner’s post because of his proximity to the ruling Congress. “My reputation is built on 30 years of experience. During these years, I have served in important posts, under various parties. You could then draw the conclusion that I am close to all political parties,” he said.
Reddi became an IPS officer in 1984 at the age of 24. His first posting was in Channapatna sub-division, Bangalore, as the Assistant Superintendent of Police. Later, he worked in Bangalore as DCP (Traffic) between 1992 and 1996, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), DIGP (1999-2003) and IGP (2005- 2007).
He has completed BA from Christ College, Bangalore, MA in Sociology from JNU, Delhi, and has an MPhil in sociology of social movements.
‘WE WILL FIND, STOP CRIMINALS’
Reddi said the police would “relentlessly go after” criminals. “We will use all the powers given to us to bring criminals under control. Goondas and rowdies need to be kept under control. We will chase them, mount them with surveillance, and stop them,” he said. Reddi promised to go back to “the basics of policing”, and also encourage community policing, especially to counter staff shortage. He said the department would work around staff shortage and “take the community along” to create a safe environment for the vulnerable sections of the society.
