LAW, ORDER AND JUSTICE

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Organisation: Under the Bombay Police Act (XXII of 1951), the District Magistrate has full control over the district police force. In exercising this authority, the District Magistrate is subject to the rules and orders made by the State Government and to the lawful orders of Revenue Commissioner.

For the purpose of administration, the State is divided into four ranges, besides three Commissionerates at Bombay, Pune and Nagpur. Each range in the State, which is in the charge of a Range Deputy Inspector-General is divided into districts. Each range corresponds to the respective revenue division. Subject to the control of the Inspector-General of Police and the District Magistrate in their respective spheres of authority, the direction and regulation of the Police throughout the district are vested in the Superintendent of Police who, as executive head of the Police force, has full control over the internal economy and discipline of the force under him. His primary duties are to keep the force under his control properly trained, efficient and contented and to ensure, by constant supervision, the proper and effective prevention, investigation and detection of the crime in his district.

The Sholapur district is divided into three sub-divisions, viz., (1) City Sub-Division, Sholapur, (2) Sholapur Sub-Division and (3) Pandharpur Sub-Division. Each sub-division is in the charge of a Sub-Divisional Police Officer. He is responsible for looking after all the offences in his charge as laid down in the standing orders. He is also responsible for the efficiency and discipline of the officers and men in his division.

At the district head-quarters, the Superintendent of Police is assisted by an Inspector of Police who is designated as Home Police Inspector. He works as a personal assistant to the Superintendent of Police and supervises the work of the whole office which consists of the establishment, accounts, crime and confidential branches, disposing of routine correspondence and various other miscellaneous items of work. He also supervises the work at the District Police headquarters.

During 1968 there were twenty-one police stations, thirty out-posts and four sub-posts in the district. Of these, four were city police stations under City Sub-Division, Sholapur and rest were rural police stations. The Sholapur sub-division comprises ten police stations whereas the Pandharpur sub-division has seven police stations. An Inspector of Police or Sub-Inspector of Police is in charge of the police station according to the importance of police station. A police station officer exercises all the powers as defined in the Criminal Procedure Code. The Sub-Inspector is responsible for prevention and detection of crime and maintenance of law and order in his charge and for the implementation of the orders and instructions issued by his superior officer. He is also responsible for the proper maintenance of the discipline of the police under his control. He is provided with the requisite strength of head constables and constables, armed and unarmed, for attending to the various duties cast on him. The police station area is divided into beats and each beat is under the charge of a head constable. The head constable keeps the Sub-Inspector informed of all the important affairs and occurrences in his beat and assists him in the investigation and detection of crime. When in charge of a particular post or beat, the head constable acts in all police matters in co-operation with the Police Patils appointed for each village. When attached to a police station, the senior-most among them present at the police station at any particular time holds charge of the police station in the absence of the Sub-Inspector, attends to all routine work, including investigation of crime, and exercises all the powers of the police station officer as laid down in the Criminal Procedure Code.

State Reserve Police Force: With a view to providing the armed forces which may be required at any place in the State to deal with any serious disturbances or other similar emergencies, the State Reserve Police Force, trained more or less on military lines and equipped with modern weapons, has been organised under the Bombay State Reserve Police Force Act, 1951, and stationed in groups under the control of a commandant. The groups are provided with wireless and motor transport sections. One company of the State Reserve Police Force, Group VII, is stationed at Sholapur permanently for law and order duties.

Training Institutions: The Police Training College, Nasik, provides the initial training for officers of and above the rank of Sub-Inspector and also the refresher's training for qualified head constables in the duties of Police Sub-Inspector. Besides, there are four Regional Police Training Schools at Khandala, Jalna, Nagpur and Bombay, which provide training for unarmed constables.

Women Police Branch: The main functions of the Women Police Branch are to help in the recovery of abducted women, to attend to the convenience and complaints of female passengers at important railway stations, to apprehend and search female offenders, to help in the administration of the Bombay Children Act and the Suppression of Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act, to man the police telephone exchanges, to keep vigilance at places of worship or public entertainment, etc. They also help the executive police officers at the time of holding inquests on dead bodies of women, whenever required.

The strength of the women police in Sholapur district in 1968 was one woman Police Sub-Inspector, three women head constables and nine women police constables.

Motor Transport: A motor transport section for the whole State under the control of a Superintendent of Police, designated as the Superintendent of Police, Motor Transport, is organised for maintaining a fleet of motor vehicles and water-craft for police duties. The District and State Reserve Police Force, Motor Transport Section, which consist of motor vehicles and in some districts water-crafts as well, are under the administrative control of the Superintendent of Police of the district or the Commandants of the Groups concerned, as the case may be, and, for technical supervision under the Superintendent of Police, Motor Transport.

The Sholapur district has a fleet of 26 motor vehicles.

Wireless Grid: In order to facilitate speedy communications pertaining to law and order between the various Police units in the State and with other States, a Police Wireless Grid has been established and it is under the control of a Deputy Inspector-General of Police who is designated as the Director of Police Wireless, Maharashtra Stale, with head-quarters at Pune. The district of Sholapur has one static-high frequency wireless station and two very high frequency mobile stations.

Village Police: At the village level, the district police are helped by the village police. The control of the village police is vested in the District Magistrate. Each inhabited village has a Police Patil. The Police Patil is required to collect information regarding suspicious strangers and important occurrences in the village and send it to the police station. He has to keep a strict watch over the movements of notorious characters and criminals under surveillance of the police. He is required to give information to the police station of any offence committed in the village. When a beat duty policeman goes to the village, the police patil has to give him all the information he possesses about all events in the village. The police patil is also responsible for maintaining law and order in the village.

In 1968, the number of police patils in the Sholapur district was 949.

Village defence parties: The village defence parties are chiefly meant for the defence of the village against depredations of dacoits and other types of criminals, for the protection of person, watch and ward, the security of property and public safety of the villages. Up to the year 1968, village defence parties were formed in 347 villages in Sholapur district.

Strength: The total strength of Police in the year 1946 was 1,702 including 45 officers. This strength rose to 1,674 in 1951, of which 1,625 were men. Besides this, additional staff numbered 308. During the years 1961 and 1965 the number was put at 1,934 and 1,929. In the year 1972, the strength of the District Police Force was 66 officers and 2,034 men. The composition of the force was as under:-

The following statement shows the information in respect of police stations, proportion of police to area and population, and cognizable crime investigated, etc. for a few years:-

The expenditure on police in the year 1951 was Rs. 22,60,825 and it rose to Rs. 28,40,890 in 1961. In the year 1968 it was put at Rs. 56,95,454.

Tear Gas Squad: A tear gas squad in the district consists of one Reserve Sub-Inspector, two armed head constables and eight constables.

Crime: The important crime reported during the years 1956, 1961, 1964 and 1967 is shown below:-

The incidence of the reported cognizable crime (class I to class V) and serious crime per thousand population of the district for a few years was as under:-

Housing: In the year 1968, out of 62 officers and 1,903 policemen, 27 officers and 1,364 men were provided Government residential accommodation.

Prosecution staff and prosecution: There are ten Police Prosecutors and one Selection Grade Police Prosecutor in the Sholapur district. Police Prosecutors are attached to courts of Judicial Magistrates and their function is to conduct prosecution in courts of different magistrates. The Selection Grade Police Prosecutor also acts as a legal adviser to the Superintendent of Police, whenever the situation demands. In all 5,581 cases were conducted by the Prosecutors during the year 1968, out of which 4,527 ended in conviction.

Police Welfare Fund: A benevolent fund known as the Police Welfare Fund has been started in the district with a view to providing amenities and comforts to the policemen and their families and other low-paid staff of the department. The fund is of a private nature and is operated in accordance with the Welfare Fund Rules framed by the Inspector-General of Police and approved by the Government. The Fund is raised through periodical contributions of the members of the Fund and out of income derived, from entertainment programmes, etc., staged for augmenting the Fund. The Fund is operated by the Superintendent of Police in his official capacity. Out of the proceeds of the Fund, amenities like recreation club, sports, flour mill and grain shop are provided for the welfare of policemen and their families and children at the district head-quarters. Medical help is also extended from the Fund. A cinema projector has been purchased from this Fund for exhibiting films. Monetary help is also given from this fund for educational purposes to deserving persons. The balance in the Welfare Fund of this district, as on 31st December 1968, was Rs. 41,598.

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