To benefit from the public-spirited nature of a large number of citizens and corporates in the Millennium City, Gurgaon Police has decided to engage with them and tap them for resources. This force multiplier is expected to help Gurgaon Police provide more efficient and effective services – in both its core and non-core areas. Taking this initiative forward, Gurgaon Police, under the leadership of Police Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk, has launched ‘Community Policing 2.0’, wherein the overall community will be an important stakeholder. To set the ball rolling, Gurgaon Police called about 40 corporates for a meeting this Wednesday. They were asked to participate actively in police activities like the management of traffic and neighbourhood watch, and also help in creating a corpus, which would be used for improving the law and order in the City. The idea of community policing has stemmed from the realisation that Gurgaon Police, with its limited personnel, cannot effectively police this fast-expanding city of many complexities, including those related to a large number of ‘temporary migrants’. Police Commissioner Navdip Singh Virk says that the workload of the police has increased while the manpower and other resources has not, and this is now even effecting the core functioning of the department. That is why he is seeking community participation in some non-core activities, which will help the Police focus on its key role of crime prevention and investigation. Top companies of the City – from auto makers and IT companies to real estate players - have been asked to become an integral part of the community-policing project.
It is likely that the police will form a society with the private players and create a corpus for building the police infrastructure, particularly related to non-core activities. The funds generated through this scheme are likely to be used to hire private guards for traffic management, impart traffic education, instal CCTV cameras, and purchase PCR vehicles as well as telecom and other equipment – to better serve the public. The Police department is optimistic that the addition of more vehicles, better communication, better fire fighting equipment and more advanced investigative and forensic tools would lead to improved response times and better safety and security. The engagement with corporates is also likely to improve the interpersonal and communication skills of the policemen, as the Commissioner seeks to professionalise the force in Gurgaon. Corporate stakeholders will also feel that they can contribute to, and even positively influence, a more secure life for the residents in Gurgaon. The Police have already had good experience with the concept of (private) Road Safety Officers for the management of traffic and for curbing drunk driving. Many studied traffic solutions offered by them have been found to be effective. However, some residents of the City opine that the key issue is not lack of resources, but the attitude of the Police towards the general public. Mahesh, a resident, says that it is good for the City that the corporate community is being involved in this initiative, as they have the resources. In return, the Police should offer better services and safety to the people. Others say that the police should have more presence on the roads, and should work more towards prevention of crime rather than always reacting. Sonia, a resident, says that focus should be on women’s safety and there should be more women police officers patrolling the City. “The police must also curb petty crime - like snatchings, pick-pocketing and eve-teasing - which are rampant in the City,” she asserts. However, many Gurgaon residents feel that working with the Police as part of Community Policing will give local society a greater sense of security and will help tackle local crime faster and better. This should even help to deter some local troublemakers. Some people also feel that close interaction with the Police will help them get over their inherent ‘fear’ of khaki’ – a unique feature of this land of ours. Over time people would hopefully begin to have more faith in the Police. Let’s hope this gets off the ground fast….unlike many of the plans of the local Administration. Thankfully Gurgaon Police has been the good exception, in the main, till now – as reported by FG over the years.
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