Pasricha wants to clean up force, restore morale

Dr Parvinder Singh Pasricha took over his newpost as police commissioner of the city with a vow toraise the sagging morale of the police force and regain the confidence of the people.

"There are challenges ahead. I assure you of a thorough clean-up, complete transparency and fair play with impartial senior officers boosting the morale of the force," a confident Pasricha told journalists at his first press conference as the police chief.

The Mumbai Police, once compared to Scotland Yard, has been in doldrums recently with the indictment of senior police officers in the multi-billion-rupee Abdul Karim Telgi fake stamps case.

The former police chief, Ranjit Sharma, was forced to go on leave after a probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) indicted him for going easy on the Telgi case.

The new commissioner, an Indian Police Service officer of the 1970 batch with experience in intelligence, dealing with terrorism and security threats and the traffic management of Mumbai, on which he has written several books, is all set to get the cooperation of everyone.

"We have to first look in the mirror and do some initial cosmetic treatment along with introspection. Suggestions and advice from intellectuals, retired police officers with experience and wisdom, people's representatives and the media are welcome. It will be a collective effort," he said.

"I want to restore the glory of this 139-year-old commissionerate which is the oldest in the country."

Measures to boost the morale of the police force would be a slow process, "more like homoeopathic treatment rather than surgery." He intends to interact with junior officers and not allow any "groupism."

On Sharma, he merely said, "It's not fair to defame someone until the evidence is presented."
At the same time, he talked of being realistic. "We have to move ahead instead of ruminating on the past."

He shrugged off any political pressure and remarked that the government had reposed trust in him and given him full support. "I won't betray that trust."

In the days ahead, apart from image-building measures, he also plans to review the disbanded Anti-Terrorism Squad and also work on the modernisation of the police force.

"We will use the Geographical Positioning System to improve our helpline and the video surveillance system for 'morchas' (demonstrations) management and introduce computerisation at all police stations area traffic control."

On investigations into the bomb blasts, he felt his experience in the intelligence area would help whilst remarking that the underworld and terrorism are interlinked.