Police officers must not have friendships with tainted individuals; says Chief Minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, warned police officers not to have links with controversial industrialists and tainted persons. He added that strict actions will be taken against those police officers who are found to have unholy friendships with such individuals.

The Chief Minister also gave thirty guidelines to the police force during the meeting with high-level officers at the police headquarters.

He stressed that police must behave politely with the public. Society assesses the police force through their behavior. Receipts must be given to every complaint that is given. Help must be delivered immediately to any person who calls the helpline 112.

The Chief Minister said that immediate action must be taken on the complaints given by senior citizens, women, and children. The police must not resort to third-degree questioning in lockups.

Other major guidelines are:

• Friendships with land and sand mafia will not be tolerated.
• The investigations must be neutral.
• Strong action must be taken against goons and the drug mafia.
• Organized crime must be stopped and no compromise in cyber-crimes.
• Those who are drunk or injured must not be put in lockup. They must be taken to the hospital and the case must be registered later.
• Those who have two or more cases related to the sale of drugs must be put into preventive custody using central laws.
• Investigations into POSCO cases must be efficient.
• The smuggling of gold and other goods must not be allowed to become a parallel economy.
• Investigations must be done in hawala cases and in the kidnapping of gold carriers.
• Make sure that CCTVs are working.
• The mental stress of police officers must be reduced.
• SPs must visit police stations and should interact with junior officers.
• Counseling must be given to police officers having mental tension.
• Police actions must be legal including the sealing of PFI offices.

The meeting was attended by the home secretary, V Venu, Chief Minister’s private secretary, VV Ragesh, political secretary, P Sasi, district police chiefs, and other dignitaries.