Pachuau hopes to build strong anti-terror cell

 With his appointment as the Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP), Karnataka State Police on Tuesday, L R Pachuau has two rare distinctions: One, the rare credit of being the first person to head the police forces of two States, Mizoram and Karnataka, and two, a longer tenure than many recent DG&IGPs in Karnataka.

Many of his predecessors in recent years were given the responsibility months before their superannuation and thus were mostly ineffective.  However, Pachuau enjoys a long tenure, as he is due to retire in February 2015 – giving him a tenure of two years and four months.

As in-charge DG&IGP, Pachuau has already faced his first test during the exodus of northeasterners. Having emerged successful, Pachuau is now ready for the challenges ahead.

Expressing happiness over the government giving him the responsibility to head the Karnataka State Police, Pachuau said he would continue with the good work done by his predecessors.

Focus area

Pachuau said he would concentrate on strengthening the preventive capabilities of the police force and also hone the crime detection skills of the State police. All facilities would be provided to the Anti Naxal Force, Coastal Security and Anti Terror Squad on a priority basis to strengthen their preventive capabilities.

Fighting terror

The DG&IGP said he was the first person to head the Anti-Terror Cell in the State and in the light of the recent terror incidents, he would give top priority to it, with a goal to build a well-equipped force on the lines of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. 

The strike force, Garuda, would be further strengthened. Coastal security of the State will also be boosted by providing the personnel with all the facilities – four new coastal police stations and other equipment, he informed.

Recruitment

He drew attention to the huge number of vacancies in the police institutions across the State. He said his first priority would be to fill all the vacancies and strengthen the force.
Pachuau said he had already discussed the issue with the government, which had taken up recruitment in a big way.

The DG&IGP also talked about working towards providing canteen facilities like in the armed forces to the State police.