Former home secretary G.K. Pillai on Saturday strongly pitched for pulling out more policemen engaged in VVIP and VIP security duties saying “it is far too much’’.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Pillai also called for action against erring police officers who were on duty that fateful night when the 23-year-old woman was gangraped in a moving bus in the national capital. Incidentally, Mr Pillai’s remarks came at a time when Union home secretary R.K. Singh not only praised the police force for an “outstanding” job after the rape incident, but has also dismissed the need for pruning the security cover given to VIPs saying the number of policemen on VIP security duty are well within the sanctioned strength.
“I definitely feel that policemen on VIP security duty are far too much than what is required. You have a situation where 60-80 policemen are guarding one politician. I don’t think this is required. These policemen should be taken off VIP security and deployed on the streets,” Mr Pillai said.
Pointing at the existing lacunae in the functioning of the police force, Mr Pillai said senior Delhi police officers should be on ground duties in the evening hours rather than leave the policing job to the local policeman who is ‘’inadequately trained’’. “Till the time senior officers don’t move out between 7-11 pm, the policeman on the road does not take his job seriously. There has to be a plan of action. We cannot have a situation where PCRs are standing on the roads refusing to react to situations where the law is being violated in front of their eyes many a times,” he said.
Mr Pillai blamed such lack of action and sensitivity on the part of the police to a complete disregard for training.
“Senior officers should take interest in training of policemen. Sadly, postings of senior officers in training institutions is not treated as a plump posting. The new recruits need motivation,” he said.
The home ministry’s role has come under severe criticism from various quarters within the government’s top brass, particularly after Union home secretary R.K. Singh praised the Delhi police’s handling of the investigations in the rape case.