Punjab facing heightened threat from Pakistan based terrorist outfits: DGP

Asserting that the state of Punjab is facing a heightened threat from Pakistan based terrorist outfits, the Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta on Friday asked the police force to intensify checks along the border. The DGP ordered a series of measures to further tighten the noose against gangsters, drug smugglers, and criminals. Besides constituted designated teams to pursue the remaining five top ‘A’ category gangsters of the State, the DGP directed the CPs/SSPs of all districts to give personal attention to control crimes against women and redress public grievances on priority. 

Weekly Crime Meetings to be held

All CPs/SSPs were directed to ensure that all directly recruited Sub-Inspectors and Constables after 2010 who had not served in the Police Stations till now are immediately posted to Police Stations for at least two years. Besides asking the officers to hold Weekly Crime Meetings in each district every Wednesday, the DGP asked the field officers to trace blind murders and prevent vehicle snatchings and street crime in the state on priority.

The meeting of senior police officers from the Headquarters and all Commissioners of Police, SSPs, Range IGs, was held here at the PAP. Taking note of the security challenges before the border State of Punjab, especially in the wake of the developments in J&K, the DGP stressed on the need to keep an effective check on all kinds of crimes, including terrorist crime, in the oncoming foggy and winter season, when Pakistan is known to intensify its attempts to infiltrate trained terrorists and fidayeen into Punjab and J&K. 

As a part of the review of the security situation and the security preparedness in the border districts, the DGP also held a separate meeting with ADGP Internal Security, ADGP Law & Order, IG Border and SSPs of the seven border districts. 

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‘Drive against drugs’

The DGP also carried out a comprehensive review of the ‘Drive against drugs’ in the State, along with ADGP STF, IGP STF, and the senior field Police officers. The meeting discussed and formulated ‘supply reduction’ strategies, with directions issued to ADGP STF and the CPs/SSPs to further intensify the ‘Drive Against Drugs’.

All CPs/SSPs were ordered to withdraw SIs/ASIs posted on personal security duties with immediate effect, except those deployed with highly threatened protectees. The measure has been taken to ensure proper investigation of a large number of NDPS cases registered in the State, said Gupta.

It was also decided that each Police Station and Sub-Division would be a ‘Responsibility Centre’ and the performance of the SHOs and Sub-Divisional Police officers would be carried out on a monthly basis on pre-defined parameters, such as ‘Drive Against Drugs’, control of crime, detection, and investigation of criminal cases, arrest of POs, etc. The meeting decided on a special campaign to be launched for the arrest of POs, especially in NDPS Act cases. Investigation of NDPS Act cases as per the various guidelines issued by the courts should be strictly adhered to, said Gupta.

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The DGP also reviewed the status of the constitution of District Level Specialised Teams in the districts, such as District Social Media Team (DSMT), District Cyber Team (DCT), District Interrogation Team (DIT), and Sexual Assault Response Team. 

Besides reviewing the security scenario of the state, and focusing on women safety, as well as a crime against women and children, the meeting decided on inspection of all Police Stations within the next six months, with their informal inspections to be completed within one month. Other decisions taken included stock-taking of Arms & ammunition in the districts and battalions, as well as verification of antecedents of Arms license holders background, disclosed the DGP.

  Those present at the meeting included Special DGP & Director BoI Prabodh Kumar, ADGP Administration Gaurav Yadav, ADGP Law & Order Ishwar Singh, ADGP Technical Services, Kuldeep Singh, ADGP Security Varinder Kumar, ADGP IS RN Dhoke, ADGP Commando Rakesh Chandra, CP Amritsar Sukhchain Singh Gill CP Ludhiana Rakesh Agrawal, CP Jalandhar Gurpreet Bhullar, besides all Range IGs and SSPs of the State.

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