Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved the commissionerate system of policing for Lucknow and Noida. According to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, apart from a police commissioner, Lucknow and Noida will have an SP-level woman officer to handle crimes against women. What will be the impact of this system on the crime rates in Lucknow and Noida? What does a commissionerate system mean? And wait, didn't Noida already have a Commissioner of Police?
Why did Lucknow and Noida need a Commissioner of Police?
Big cities with burgeoning population and increasing crime rates need a police administration beyond the pre-existing system of having District Magistrates in cities. Speaking to The Quint, former DGP of Uttar Pradesh, Prakash Singh said that “through the post of a Commissioner, accountability would be introduced” and it will be a solution to “duality in administration between the police and magistracy when they are not on the same wavelength.” He added:
“Most big cities have a law and order problem, which require close coordination between the police and the magistrate. An integrated approach to the problem is introduced through the Commissionerate system.”
This was a sentiment echoed by former DGP of Uttar Pradesh Vikram Singh, who said that with the introduction of Commissionerate system in Uttar Pradesh, “history has been made.”
“There is no reason why Uttar Pradesh should not have this wonderful system (the Commissionerate system) because we are governed by the archaic and feudal Police Act of 1861 which makes District Magistrate the head of the criminal administration. This is an anachronism which requires to be done away with.”
Wait, didn’t Lucknow and Noida already have a Commissioner of Police?
No. A demand for a police commissioner in Uttar Pradesh has been a longstanding one of the IPS cadre, since it's believed having a Commissioner leads to quicker and more efficient police action. Before the Commissionerate system, the district magistrate would take decisions regarding law and order. For instance, in a city where there is no Commissionerate system, if there's a riot or a violent protest in a place, the police must take the approval of the District Magistrate.
The need for such a system has been brought up before. Former UP governor Ram Naik suggested introduction of Commissioners in UP but reportedly faced objections from IAS officers in the state. The Sixth Report of the National Police Commission also recommended that in cities with a population of 5 lakh and above and in places where there’s urbanisation, industrialisation etc., system of police Commissionerate should be introduced.
Okay, so how will the new Commissionerate system impact crimes?
By having a central Commissioner of Police in charge of police administration, accountability is expected to increase. Vikram Singh, former DGP says that "appointment of a police commissioner leaves no space for a casual or a lackadaisical approach." He explains this by giving an example of the way the police handled the loot-and-murder case of Gaurav Chandel in Noida.
Chandel, a resident of 5th Avenue Gaur City in Noida, was returning home from work on the night of 7 January, when he went missing. Around 4 am on 8 January, he was found unconscious along a service road with his SUV, wallet, laptop and other belongings missing. He was brought to a hospital where he was declared dead. The Noida police has been criticised for their handling of the case, with the family alleging that they reached Bisrakh police station where they requested to put Chandel's phone on surveillance, but the police delayed it.
Analysing the case, former DGP of UP Vikram Singh says that loopholes in the system would have been plugged with the presence of a central authority like the commissioner of police, who would have ensured registering FIR on time, sending lookout notices and placing nakas (checkposts), sending out search parties etc.
Will this mean more police presence?
Simply put, yes. The number of police personnel per thousand would increase. This is good news for Noida, where the population according to the 2011 census was 6 lakh and has grown in the years since. With a new Commissioner in-charge of things, the additional DG Police Commissioner would have two IGs under him and subsequently, lower rung officers would increase. “Several DIGs would see a concomitant increase in the number of constables, head constables, sub-inspectors and other ranks. Therefore, the force multiplier would be the actual the manpower who would be assisting the police commissioner,” Vikram Singh says.
So, will a new Commissionerate system work in Lucknow and Noida?
For the sake of the people of Noida and Lucknow, let's hope it does. But it won’t be so easy. According to former DGP Prakash Singh, two things are needed for the Commissionerate system to work in Noida and Lucknow. “One, whether the police officer appointed is the right man for the job and two, whether the officer has the support and protection from higher levels of authority.”
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)