HYDERABAD: In a complete change over from the existing policing, the Greater Hyderabad will have four commissioners of police against the existing Hyderabad and Cyberabad commissioners and the four commissioners would have a chief commissioner of police as the boss. The move is being initiated on the suggestions of retired IPS officer C Anjaneya Reddy.
The move, according to DGP V Dinesh Reddy, is aimed at better urban policing without any extra expenditure. "It is like distributing our resources,'' he said at a press conference along with AK Khan and Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, commissioners of Hyderabad and Cyberabad commissionerates respectively, and additional DGP, Law and Order, S A Huda.
According to the proposal, which is likely to take shape in a month if all goes well, the 60 police stations of Hyderabad city and 41 police stations of Cyberabad would be merged and distributed among the proposed four commissionerates. "A few police stations like those falling under the Ibrahimpatnam division in Cyberabad and others like Moinabad and Ghatkesar which have more rural areas would, however, be given back to the Ranga Reddy district police,'' Dinesh Reddy said.
Each of the four commissioners would enjoy power that the present CPs of Hyderabad and Cyberabad are enjoying. The chief CP would also have the same powers and he would be coordinating between the four CPs and corresponding with the DGP and government,'' Dinesh Reddy said.
An officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police will be heading each commissionerate while the CCP would be an additional DG rank officer.
The present set up is not suited for urban policing as it was established when the Hyderabad city had 12 police stations and now there are more than 100 police stations in the two commissionerates.
There are more disadvantages than advantages in the present set up, feel officials. Hyderabad commissionerate has more human and material resources compared to its counterparts in Cyberabad. On the other hand, the population in Cyberabad is more compared to Hyderabad. ''If the idea is to decentralise the system, then the commissioners should be allowed to function independently rather than having a boss. This would mean that any aspect concerning policing will have to get the approval of the CCP. It would have been better had the Commissioners been allowed to work directly under the DGP,'' an officer said.
"If a person is externed by the Hyderabad police, he can stay in Kukatpally (under Cyberabad limits) and continue to do his activities,'' the DGP said. On an average, each Commissionerate will have 20-26 police stations.
The DGP said they were awaiting suggestions and feedback from public.