Modernising police force is top priority: DIG With the changing scenario, policing in Goa has had to undergo dramatic changes, compelling them to try and bring about changes in the police force. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Ujjwal Mishra in an interview with Shaikh Jamaluddin spelt out the future plans of the police in Goa.
The nature of crime is changing. The quantum and character of tourists visiting Goa is changing. What do you feel about it? Even though there has been a change in the nature of crime, crimes like murder, rape, attempt to murder, robbery and so on have not diminished. We are also trying to cope up with the changing situation and modernise the police force. What is the strength of the Goa police? There are 4,000 police personnel. Presently there is a shortage of around 600 constables and sub-inspectors. Presently the Goa police has seven SPs, 23 deputy SPs, 48 police inspectors, 87 police sub-inspectors and 180 assistant sub-inspectors besides 2,580 constables and 760 head constables. In view of recent incidents, there is an imperative need for increasing the strength of the police force. We require more local police. According to you, is Goa becoming vulnerable to crime and the force needs to be modernised. Yes. There is an immediate need to modernise the Goa police. Now Goa is vulnerable to crimes and criminals. In this regard the Goa police is equipped with control rooms, PCR vans, a bomb disposal squad and a Finger Print Bureau, mobile patrol, the beat system has been introduced. Now a forensic science lab is coming up at Verna. Besides this, police stations are being computerised. What is your opinion about Goans? Goa used to be thinly populated, with only Goans and initially the influx of outsiders was very little. After the departure of the Portuguese, the first boost the Goan economy got was due iron ore mines. The government embarked on building roads, bridges, buildings to house schools and colleges. This attracted labourers from neighbouring states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu besides some persons from northern states. Then suddenly the popularity of Goa as a tourist resort started growing and a whole new concept called hospitality industry has emerged. This industry means large-scale constructions, professionals, chefs, waiters and drivers among others all of which continue to lure people from neighbouring states. You mean to say, growth of economy gave rise to the influx of outsiders and crime in the state? Yes. Now with such an influx, Goa suddenly became a much richer state and a large number of Goans have become rich. The prices of land shot up. So, this had a fall out on the crime front. Big money came in. Business rivalries grew. Personal rivalries increased. Land disputes and litigations increased which led to more murders and attempts to murder and other money related crimes. With prosperity, criminals found house breaking and robberies very lucrative, cheating became common. More so Goans have remained naive as far as investments were concerned. Who is responsible for these crimes: developments, tourism or the influx of the people? I would say, all three are contributing to the rise in crime and criminals. When remittances from abroad started flowing in, Goans started looking for investments and in the bargain many were cheated. So with the changing lifestyle the influx of labourers increased with the increase in per capita income, crime increased on all fronts. There are few developments on the crime front due to the production of new two wheelers, and 4-wheelers. The number of road accidents has increased dramatically. The comparative ease with which persons can get a driving licence ensures that many drivers are reckless speedsters. Then came the comparative ease with which people can buy and dispose cars and vehicles thefts became a new phenomenon. How do you rate crimes against women in Goa due to domestic and foreign tourists? Surprisingly, the crimes against women and child tend to rise with prosperity, especially if the prosperity is not matched by awareness and literacy. The large-scale arrivals of domestic and foreign tourists brought their own problems. Drugs were one of them. And when drugs entered a relatively virgin market, they tend to drive the local youth towards it. Goa was changing. Domestic tourism invariably spurs the flesh-trade industry and this became a constant feature on the crime map. What is the police - public ratio in Goa? Policemen are sanctioned as per need, minimum requirements in terms of area and is based on the nature of crime and volume of crime as compared to other states. In Goa the criteria is based on population and rate of crime as well as geographical distances. No where in the country public-police ratio is followed and Goa is no different from other states. -- TUMCHER AXIRVAD ASSUM; DEV BOREM KORUM. Gabe Menezes. London, England Comment: Above all, Goa needs a deSaffronisation of the Police Force, followed by a strong curb on Graft.