The Dakshina Kannada district Police Department covering 13 police stations in four taluks is facing acute staff shortage. Though there should be 200 police personnel for one lakh population as per the policy, the district ratio is in complete contrast, with 35 police personnel for one lakh population.
Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Superintendent of Police Abhishek Goyal said that 50 per cent of the sanctioned 450 posts in the district are vacant. The post of Additional Superintendent of Police is also vacant in the district since June. The brunt of staff crunch is faced during elections and when some major incidents occur, he said.
Further more, the SP said that there are 13 police stations in four taluk limits in the district, where as in Udupi, there are 22 police stations in three taluks.
Despite the total population under DK and Udupi district police is almost the same, there is considerably less number of police stations in DK. With two national highways passing through the district and two major temples located here attracting a large number of devotees, the department is finding it hard to maintain law and order.
However, a proposal has been submitted to the higher authorities asking to sanction additional 20 staff each to Venur and Belthangady stations.
New buildings
On the construction of new police station buildings, Goyal said buildings have been sanctioned for Puttur mobile police station, Sullia station and Uppinangady station.
Of the three sanctioned buildings, the work on Puttur station has begun, while the work on Sullia station has not yet started.
As far as Uppinangady station is concerned, the delay is caused due to the unavailability of land.
Though 10 cents of land is available in the area, the building requires additional five cents land and a letter has been written to the Revenue Department requesting for the same, he said.
“Bantwal sub-division has been formed separating it from Puttur sub-division. Bantwal and Belthangady police stations will come under the new sub-division limits,” the SP said.
CC TV cameras
The district police have gone tech-savy, by installing CC TV cameras in Punjalkatte, Venur, Kadaba and Belthangady police stations. Five CC TV cameras have been provided to each of these stations as they come under Maoist affected areas.
The cameras have also been installed outside the station to allow the police to keep a track on the movements taking place outside the station, the SP said. He also stressed on the need to install more CC TV cameras in Dharmasthala and Kukke Subramanya temple premises for strengthening the security.
The monthly Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes grievance meeting which was postponed from last Sunday to this Sunday due to election, was cancelled as none of the Dalit community members attended the meeting.
