THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A courteous welcome note — greeting visitors with a polite ‘good morning’ or ‘namaskaram’ — would soon be the new face of policing in the state. A few days into his term, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala is pitching for a major facelift of the state’s police force.
The minister has directed police officers to greet visitors courteously, listen to their woes with empathy and transform stations into people-centric public service spaces rather than intimidating state institutions.
Following his first high-level meeting with top police officials after assuming office, Chennithala on Saturday announced a wide-ranging overhaul of all 484 police stations across the state. The revamp covers several aspects, from behavioural changes and station cleanliness to structural reforms in station-level policing and administrative responsibilities.
Chennithala said police stations should function as genuine public service centres where complaints are addressed impartially and resolved with sensitivity.
Noting that visitors must be welcomed with a ‘good morning’ or ‘namaskaram’, he stressed that those entering stations should not be viewed as criminals by default, but as citizens entitled to dignity, fairness and respectful treatment.
Alongside behavioural changes, the minister also ordered a major clean-up drive on station premises.
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District police chiefs have been instructed to ensure stations are kept clean and organised, while the DGP has been asked to remove vehicles that have remained abandoned inside station compounds for years by auctioning them off.
Explaining the objective behind the move, ADGP Law and Order H Venkatesh said the reforms are aimed at making police stations and police personnel more approachable to the public.
“This will definitely create a positive impact. All these directions were discussed in detail during the high-level meeting with the home minister. Greeting people respectfully should become part of normal policing culture. When people feel welcomed, they will find it easier to approach the police,” the ADGP told TNIE
The reform drive also includes an administrative review of station functioning. Sources said an internal assessment found that shifting station responsibilities from sub-inspectors (SIs) to circle inspectors (CIs) had adversely affected policing efficiency in several places.
Based on feedback from officers and field-level experiences, the government has constituted a five-member committee led by ADGP Headquarters S Sreejith to study the issue in detail.
The panel will examine how the presence and responsibilities of SIs, CIs and DySps can be reorganised to improve station administration and field policing.Officials said the committee would study practical difficulties faced by police personnel, assess the impact of the current structure and recommend whether station-level responsibilities need to be redistributed. Necessary reforms will be implemented once the panel submits its report.
On the issue of abandoned vehicles crowding station compounds, the ADGP said the department has been given a three-month target to clear them. In many stations, seized and unclaimed vehicles have remained dumped for years, occupying large stretches of station premises and often drawing criticism over poor upkeep.
Noting that the government is viewing the rising number of suicides within the force with serious concern, Chennithala said senior officers have been instructed to avoid placing unnecessary pressure on subordinate personnel and to ensure they are given the freedom to work without undue stress. He added that the police training syllabus will be revised in tune with changing times.
