CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin, with his announcement on trifurcating the Chennai police commissionerate, has signalled his government’s desire to return to the city police set-up as it was during his father M Karunanidhi’s last regime.
Stalin announced the creation of two additional police commissionerates, with Avadi and Tambaram as headquarters. In 2008, the Karunanidhi government bifurcated the Chennai city police and appointed a police commissioner to cover the city’s suburbs. This was revoked by AIADMK government when it came to power in 2011.
The announcement has been welcomed as it comes at a time the department is drowning under a heavy workload. Sources said an officer in the rank of Additional Director General of Police is expected to be appointed as special officer to mark jurisdictions, allocate manpower and funds. A cop in the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police said, with cyber crimes increasing, it has been recommended centralised cyber cells be set up in each commissionerate so crimes can be solved quickly.
“The trifurcation will make policing easier and reduce response time. Geographically, the Tambaram commissionerate is expected to cover Airport, Officers Training Academy and areas seeing a real estate boom, while Avadi commissionerate would cover industries and manufacturing units,” said a senior police officer in the rank of an Inspector General of Police. Sources said the new commissionerates might engulf a few police stations from nearby districts like Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur.
According to a police officer, who retired in the rank of Superintendent of Police, the city’s suburbs offer a safe haven for criminals. “The separate commissionerates would help the personnel detect hideouts easily,” he said.
Alleging land grabbing is rife in suburbs, Chromepet activist A Balaji said the new commissionerates would bring more attention to these crimes. “With trifurcation, more manpower is expected and senior officers will concentrate on making their jurisdiction crime-free,” he said. T Srinivasan of Annanur near Avadi, noted the new commissionerates will improve the public’s access to senior cops.