LAW, ORDER AND JUSTICE

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Functions.

The primary functions of the Police are the prevention and detection of crime, the maintenance of law and order, the apprehension of offenders, escorting and guarding of prisoners, treasure, private or public property of which they may be placed in charge, and the prosecution of criminals. They have, however, various other duties to perform, such as control and regulation of traffic, service of summonses and execution of warrants in criminal cases, inspection of explosives and poison shops and extinguishing fires and others such as giving aid to displaced persons and pilgrims, verification of character, passports and naturalisation inquiries, etc.

Organisation,

Under Section 17 of 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 the Revenue Commissioner. Under Section 6 (1) of the Bombay Police Act, 1951, the direction and supervision of the whole Police Force in the State rests in the Inspector-General of Police, who is assisted by one or more Assistant Inspector-Generals of Police of the rank of the District Superintendent of Police to advise the government on all problems, specially those connected with Police personnel, their training and equipment, supplies and stores, financial provision required for the maintenance of the Force and other powers and duties of various grades of officers, and to make rules and orders for the guidance of the officers on all such matters. He has to keep in touch by frequent inspections with the requirements of efficiency of the Police Force and to keep due watch over all matters relating to the maintenance of law and order and prevention and detection of crime.

For the purpose of administration, the State is divided into four Police ranges, besides three Commissionerates, viz., Greater Bombay, Pune and Nagpur. In Greater Bombay, the Commissioner of Police is in charge of the Greater Bombay Police Force. The Commissioners of Police in charge of the Pune and Nagpur Commissionerates are of the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police.

The State C.I.D. is divided into two branches viz., (1) Intelligence and (2) Crime and Railways, each under a Deputy Inspector- General Both the Deputy Inspector-Generals are assisted by one or more assistants of the rank of Superintendent of Police and a number of Deputy Superintendents of Police, Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors and Head Constables. There are C.I.D. Units at important places in the State each under a Deputy Superintendent of Police assisted by the necessary subordinate staff.

The State Reserve Police Force Groups arc under the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Armed Forces, Bombay.

The Police Training College, Nasik, the Regional Police Training Schools at Khandala, Jalna and Nagpur and the Motor Transport organisation are under the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Training and Special Units, Bombay. The Wireless organisation is headed by an officer designated as Director of Police Wireless, who is of the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police.

Each range in the State which is in the charge of a Range D.I.G. is divided into districts, each corresponding to the revenue district except that, Ratnagiri which is in the Bombay Revenue Division is included in Pune Police Range and Ahmednagar which is in the Pune Revenue Division is included in the Bombay Police Range. Because of their geographical position, the Police working in the district of Ratnagiri and Ahmednagar can more conveniently be supervised by the Deputy Inspector-General, Pune Range, whose headquarters is at Kolhapur and Deputy Inspector-General, Bombay Range, whose headquarters is at Nasik, respectively. 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 is vested in the Superintendent of Police, the executive head of the Police Force, who has full control over the internal economy 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.

Regular duties.

Each district is divided into two or three sub-divisions. Each sub-division is in the charge of a Sub-Divisional Police Officer, who is of the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police or Deputy Superintendent of Police and he is responsible for the prevention, investigation and detection of crime in his charge. Subject to the general orders of the Superintendent of Police, he is responsible for efficiency and discipline of the officers and men in his division. He has to hold detailed inspections of police stations and out-posts in his charge at regular intervals.

Yeotmal district, which has its headquarters at Yeotmal, is divided into two Police sub-divisions, viz., Yeotmal Sub-Division and Pusad Sub-Division. To each of the sub-divisions one Police Inspector, called the Circle Police Inspector is attached. He is employed almost entirely on work relating to the prevention and detection of crime, the co-ordination of the working of the police stations under him and investigation of important and organised crime.

At the district headquarters, the Superintendent of Police is assisted by an Inspcctor, who is designated as Home Police Inspector. He works as personal assistant to the Superintendent of Police and is employed for supervision of the work in the office and accounts branches, disposing of routine correspondence and miscellaneous work.

There are 23 Police Stations and 7 Out-posts in the district of which 5 are Taluka Police Stations and 18 Rural Police Stations. A Sub-Inspector of Police is ordinarily the officer in charge of a police station. He is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime in his charge and for seeing that orders and instructions issued by the superior officers are carried out and the discipline of the Police under him is properly maintained. He has under him the required number of Head Constables and Constables. The Head Constables report to the Sub-Inspector all crimes in their beats and assist him in the investigation and detection of crime. When in charge of a particular post or beat, the Head Constables act in all Police matters in co-operation with the heads of the village police. When attached to a police station, some of them hold charge of the police station in the absence of the Sub-Inspector and attend to all routine work including investigation of crime.

The Constables perform such Police duties as may be entrusted to them by the Sub-Inspector and the Head Constables.

The control and administration of the Railway Police in Yeotmal district is vested in the Superintendent of Police, Central. South-Eastern and Western Railways, Nagpur, who has a parallel organisation on the lines of the District Police. He functions under the supervision and control of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Crime and Railways (C.I.D.), Maharashtra State, Pune and the Inspector-General of Police.

Anti-Corruption and Prohibition Intelligence Bureau.

With a view to eradicating the evil of corruption and for a more effective implementation of the Prohibition policy of the Government, the Anti-Corruption and Prohibition Intelligence Bureau has been created under the control of a Deputy Inspector- General of Police designated as Director, A. C. & P. I. Bureau, Maharashtra State with his headquarters at Bombay. He is declared as a Head of Department under the administrative control and supervision of the Home Department of the State Government. He is assisted by an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police, who is ex-officio Deputy Commissioner of Police and six other officers of the rank of Assistant Commissioners of Police/Deputy Superintendents of Police. The Bureau has its offices in all districts and has four regional units with Headquarters at Bombay, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur each in charge of a Deputy Superintendent of Police. The unit for Greater Bombay is in the charge of a Deputy Commissioner of Police.

The Anti-Corruption Unit at Yeotmal is headed by a Police Sub-Inspector, who is assisted by 2 Constables.

State Reserve Police Force.

With a view to providing the armed force which may be required at any place in the State to deal with any serious disturbances or other similar emergency, 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 (Bombay Act No. XXXVIII of 1951), and stationed in groups at important centres in the State. Each group is under the control of a Commandant, (who is an officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police) assisted by the necessary staff of officers of different ranks. The groups are provided with wireless and motor transport sections.

Women Police Branch.

Women Police branches exist in almost all the districts of the State. The main functions of this 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 exchange, to keep vigilance at places of worship or public entertainment, etc. They also help the senior Police officers at the time of holding inquests on dead bodies of women, whenever required.

The Women Police Branch in the district consists of two Women Head Constables and six Women Police Constables.

Arms Inspection Branch.

There is an Arms Inspection Branch under the charge of a Deputy Superintendent of Police, whose headquarters are at Bombay. He is assisted by 2 Police Inspectors, 1 Police Sub-Inspector, 3 Head Constables and 4 Police Constables. The main function of the Branch is to inspect the arms and bicycles held by the Police regularly and to ensure their proper maintenance. The branch is under the control of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Armed Force.

Motor Transport.

A Motor Transport Section for the whole State under the control of a Superintendent of Police, designated as Superintendent of Police, Motor Transport, is organised for maintaining a fleet of motor vehicles and water craft for Police duties. It consists of (i) a District Motor Transport Section at the headquarters of each district and each State Reserve Police Force Group, (ii) the Central Motor Transport work-shop together with mobile units at Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur and (iii) the Mobile Repair Unit for Police Water Craft with headquarters at Thana. The District and State Reserve Police Force Motor Transport Sections which consist of motor vehicles and in some districts water craft, are under the administrative control of the Superintendents of Police of Districts or the Commandants of the Groups, as the case may be, and for technical supervision under the Superintendent of Police, Motor Transport.

The Yeotmal district has a fleet of 11 vehicles including 1 Jeep, 2 light vans and 1 motor cycle.

Wireless Grid.

In order to facilitate quick communications pertaining to law and order between Police units in this State and other States, a Police Wireless grid has been established and it is under the control of a Deputy Inspector-General of Police designated as Director of Police Wireless, Maharashtra State. The grid consists of Wireless Telegraphy circuits of high frequency and very high frequency with static and mobile stations and broadcast service stations. There are wireless stations at the headquarters of each District/State Reserve Police Force Groups and in the three Commissionerates of Greater Bombay, Pune and Nagpur cities. The wireless personnel in Bombay and those attached to the Districts and State Reserve Police Force Groups are under the control of the Commissioner of Police, Superintendent of Police and the Commandants of the State Reserve Police Force Groups concerned, respectively.

The district has a net work of high frequency system of communications. There are two wireless stations in the district. One is located at the district headquarters and the other, at Pusad.

Village Police.

At the village level the District Police are helped by the village Police. Under the Bombay Village Police Act (VIII of 1867) the control of the village Police rests with the District Magistrate. The District Magistrate may, however, delegate his authority in certain matters to the Superintendent of Police. 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 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 district was 1,486.

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 and protection of the persons, watch and ward, the security of property and the public safety of the villages.

At the close of the year 1968, village Defence Parties were formed in 337 villages with 734 members.

Strength.

During the year 1968 (31st December 1968), the strength of the District Police Force was 52 officers and 987 men.

 Expenditure.

The expenditure on the establishment of the district for 1967-68 was Rs. 27,09,726.62 The ratio of Police to area and population works out to one policemen to 12.09 square km and 1,056 persons.

Recruitment.

Appointments of Superintendents of Police are made by promotion of Assistant Superintendents of Police and Deputy Superintendents of Police in accordance with the regulations made in that behalf by the Government of India in consultation with the State Government and the Union Public Service Commission.

Recruitment to the cadre of Assistant Superintendent of Police, who belongs to the Indian Police Service, is made by the Government of India on the recommendation of the Union Public Service Commission. On their appointment, they are attached to the National Police Academy, Abu, for training for a period of one year and after successful completion of the training they are sent to the States concerned for further training. On arrival in the State, the Indian Police Service Probationers are attached to the Police Training College, Nasik, for 3 months and in the districts for practical training for 9 months before they arc appointed to hold independent charges of Sub-Divisional Police Officers. Assistant Superintendents of Police are considered eligible for promotion to a senior post in the Indian Police Service cadre after their confirmation in the Indian Police Service in vacancies in the direct recruitment quota.

Seventy per cent of the total number of appointments on the sanctioned cadre of Deputy Superintendents of Police are filled in by promotion from the lower ranks of the District Police Force and the remaining 30 per cent by direct recruitment which is made by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission. Candidates appointed by direct recruitment are attached to the Police Training College, Nasik for training and are kept on probation for a period of two years and three months. During the first two years of their probationary period, they are required to pass departmental examinations prescribed by Government.

After a year's training at the Police Training College, they are required to undergo military training for 5 weeks and thereafter practical training in districts for the remaining period of probation. They are considered for promotion to Indian Police Service Cadre after they put in eight years service as Deputy Superintendents of Police.

Appointments of Inspectors of Police are made by the Inspector-General of Police by promotion of Police Sub-Inspectors who are found fit for promotion by the Selection Board comprising the Inspector-General of Police as the Chairman and Commissioner of Police and Deputy Inspector-General of Police as members. No direct recruitment is ordinarily made.

Recruitment of Sub-Inspectors is made by the Inspector-General of Police both by promotion of officers from the lower ranks of the District Police Force and by direct recruitment. 50 per cent of the vacancies are filled in by direct recruitment. Of the remaining 50 per cent, 25 per cent of the vacancies are filled in by departmental candidates passing through the Police Sub-Inspectors' Course at the Police Training College, Nasik, and the remaining 25 per cent by promotion of officers from lower ranks.

Candidates for direct recruitment may be either from outside the Police or from the Police department. These candidates, in the first instance are selected for training in the Police Training College, Nasik, as Police Sub-Inspectors. The selection is made by the Inspector-General of Police assisted by a committee of the Commissioner of Police, Bombay, a Deputy Inspector-General of Police and the Principal, Police Training College, Nasik. The Police Constables are recruited directly and the Head Constables generally from the rank of Constables. However, to attract better men, recruitment of Head Constables is made direct from qualified candidates to the extent of 33 per cent of the vacancies that may occur.

Literacy.

Amongst the 52 officers and 987 men of the Yeotmal district at the close of the year 1968, none was illiterate.

Crime.

The following statement shows the crime reported to the Yeotmal Police during the year 1968 and the preceding four years: —

The important crime reported during the year 1968 and the preceding four years was as under: —

The incidence of the reported cognizable crime (class I to V) per thousand population of the district during the year 1968 and the preceding four years was as under: —

The following table shows the crime statistics in the district from 1959 to 1962.

TABLE No. 1

The number of persons convicted in respect of various charges during 1959 to 1962 is shown in table No. 2, whereas table No. 3 shows the same statistics for the years 1965, 1966 and 1967.

TABLE No. 1

CRIME STATISTICS IN YEOTMAL DISTRICT FROM 1959 TO 1962

TABLE No. 2

PERSONS CONVICTED OR BOUND OVER IN RESPECT OF VARIOUS OFFENCES, YEOTMAL DISTRICT.

TABLE No. 3

CRIME STATISTICS IN YEOTMAL DISTRICT IN 1965, 1966 AND 1967.

TABLE No. 3—contd.

CRIME STATISTICS IN YEOTMAL DISTRICT IN 1965, 1966 AND 1967.

The following statement shows the number of cognizable and non cognizable cases reported in the district from 1950 to 1965: —

Prosecuting Staff and Prosecution.

In 1968, there were 7 Police Prosecutors, of whom one was appointed as Senior Police Prosecutor. The total number of cases conducted by the Prosecutors in 1968 was 4,810 out of which 2,122 cases ended in conviction.

Housing.

Officers of and below the rank of Police Inspectors are entitled to rent free quarters. In 1968, out of 52 officers and 987 men, 40 officers and 631 men were housed in Government quarters. The remaining officers and men lived in private and other buildings on hire.

Police Welfare.

The District Police has its own welfare fund. The fund is financed by subscriptions from the members of the Police department of the district. Special performances of shows etc.. are also held to augment the welfare fund. The following facilities were available to members during the year 1968:

A Police Hospital, poultry farm, tailoring class for women, scholarships to school going children and monetary help for purchase of books, children park, balak mandir, recreation room, flour-mill, grocery shop and supply of radio sets at interior police stations.

There is a Government mess at Yeotmal run for the benefit of the police personnel in the town.

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