Our job is only to protect citizens from crime and criminals: Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar

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In a free-wheeling conversation with Sagar Rajput, new Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar shares his plan of making a new rule for senior police officers to regularly meet woman complainants while saying that the force, on his watch, will not work under any political pressure. He also weighs in on the spike in cyber crime cases in the city. Excerpts:
How do you plan to deal with crime against women, children and senior citizens in the city?
Our primary job is prevention and detection of crime. Ensuring the safety of women, children, destitute and senior citizens will be our primary focus. We will also aim to give justice to the people who are suffering. Mumbai is a big metropolitan city and policing is a huge challenge. We will not complain about constraints of resources and will do whatever is required to ensure the safety of citizens with the resources that we have at our disposal. Our force is one of the best in the country, though some past incidents did put a dent on our image. The delivery of services will be done appropriately. We will soon start reviewing cases where women are the complainants. A senior police officer will personally meet the complainant and the investigating officer of the case to ensure that their problems are resolved at the earliest. It will help us build confidence in them. Our actions will speak for us.
Are the Mumbai police working under political pressure as, soon after the formation of the new government, the city police’s SIT closed a preliminary enquiry (PE) against businessman Jitendra Navlani, who along with three other persons were accused of extorting money from top builders on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate?
Mumbai police will not work under any political pressure. We will be dealing only with the facts and circumstances of a case. We will work as per evidence available on record. The SIT has evaluated the facts and the evidence that were on record and it is on the basis of them that the closure report was submitted.
The Antilia and Mansukh Hiren murder incident has shown the Mumbai Police in bad light. As the new Mumbai police commissioner, what precautions will you take to ensure that such an episode is not repeated?
I have told the police personnel that wrongdoings will not be tolerated. In the first meeting with senior-ranked officers, I conveyed a strong message to them that our job is only to protect citizens from crime and criminals. Strict action will be taken against those who indulge in any misconduct.
Former commissioner Sanjay Pandey had introduced a series of initiatives, including the ‘Sunday Street’. Would you be continuing with them or will there be any changes?
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