Chandigarh: “Community Policing Programme in Punjab is a unique effort. It has converged e-governance with engaged governance.” These were the view expressed by Mr. Heyman, head of theUS delegation in valedictory address in Indo-US Police Chiefs conference organized by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India in New Delhi.
US delegation head appreciatedPunjab’s community policing program
v ADGP SK Sharma makes a presentation on Saanjh Programme
In this conference the Government of India invited Punjab and Kerala police to present their models of community-policing. Mr. S.K. Sharma, IPS, ADGP, Punjab in his presentation highlighted that the Saanjh Programme provides a dignified forum to citizens to have an access to police services, for resolution of domestic violence and dowry dispute and build citizen and police partnership. He pointed out that the unique feature was that it has converged community policing with regular policing, institutionalized ad-hoc community policing and made these Saanjh centres self-sustaining.
He further added that it was an institutionalized effort to integrate community policing with the existing policing system owned by the state government and also have statutory mandate as incorporated in newPunjab police act of 2007. Each CPRC was an autonomous registered society collectively managed by representatives of the community and police functionaries. These community policing centres were available at three levels of police administration, district, sub-division and police station, providing 20 police services covered under the Right to Service Act. Online complaint system and time-bound action was being ensured as per Right to Service Act.
Mr. Stu Frome, Assistant Secretary in Homeland Security in US Administration observed that the uniqueness of this effort was that it was institutionalized and not localized. And above all, it was self-sustaining in terms of finances because of political support. Mr. S.K. Sharma in response to a question mentioned that unless there was political will and support it was not possible to institutionalize such experiment. The effort and support of the Home Minister of Punjab S. Sukhbir Singh Badal made this pro-people initiative integral to police functioning.