Pune Police

Though policing existed in ancient and medieval period also but it was known by different names. In 1764, the Peshwa Madhav Rao I created for the first time a regular office of Kotwal or the Head of Police, and appointed Balaji Narayan Ketkar, the first Kotwal (City Police Superintendent) of Pune. The city was divided into 4 police stations, known as Kotwal Chawdi, viz. Somwar Peth, Vetal Peth, Raviwar Peth, and Budhwar Peth. The next Kotwal Ghasiram added Narayan Peth and Shaniwar Peth.[2]

The British created the police department as we know it today. After conquering Sindh, as Governor of Bombay Presidency, Sir Charles Napier introduced a new force in 1843 exclusively for police work and having no links with the military. Later on, the British government passed the Police Act,1861, to re-organize the police department.[3]

In 1882 the strength of the district or regular police was 1096. Of these under the District Superintendent two were subordinate officers, 177 were inferior subordinate officers, and twenty-five were mounted and 891 foot constables. The cost of maintaining this force was for the Superintendent a yearly salary of £920 (Rs. 9200); for the subordinate officers en yearly salaries of not less than £120 (Rs. 1200) and the inferior subordinate officers on yearly salaries of less than £120 (Rs. 1200), a yearly cost of £4686 (Rs. 46,860); and for the foot and mounted constables a cost of £10,171 (Rs. 1,01,710). Besides their pay a sum of £240 (Rs. 2400) was yearly allowed for the horse and travelling allowances of the Superintendent; £696 (Rs. 6960) for the pay and travelling allowances of his establishment.; £223 (Rs. 2230) for the horse and travelling allowances of subordinate officers; and £2025 (Rs. 20,250) a year for contingencies and petty charges. Thus the total yearly cost of maintaining the police department amounted to £18,962 (Rs. 1,89,620).

On an area of 5348 square miles, and a population of 900,621, these figures give one constable for every 4.88 square miles and 821 people and a cost of £3 10s. 11d. (Rs. 35 as. 71/3) to the square mile or 5½d. (32/3 as.) to each head of the population. Of the total strength of 1096, exclusive of the Superintendent, ninety-one, twelve officers and seventy-nine men, were in 1882 employed as guards over treasuries and lockups or as escorts to prisoners and treasure, 239 were posted in towns and municipalities, 153 in cantonments, and 612,103 officers and 509 men, on other duties. Of the whole number, exclusive of the Superintendent, 509 were provided with fire-arms and 586 were provided with batons, and 219 of whom eighty-seven were officers and 132 men could read and write.

Except for the District Superintendent who was a European and ten officers and three men who were Eurasians, the members of the police department were all natives of India. Of these fifty-one officers and 198 men were Muhammadans, fourteen officers, and thirty men Brahmans, thirteen officers and sixty-six men Rajputs, eighty-two officers and 551 men Marathas, two officers and forty-eight men Ramoshis, six officers and twenty men Hindus of other castes, and one officer was a Jew. The European Superintendent and the ten Eurasian officers and three men were Christians.[4]

The Pune City Police Department is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an IPS officer. The position is currently held by Dr K Venkatesham, IPS of the 1988 batch. The Pune City Police comes under the state Home Ministry/Department. Currently Pune City Police comprises Commissioner of Police (1), Joint Commissioner of Police (1), Additional Commissioner of Police (4), Deputy Commissioner of Police (10), Assistant Commissioner of Police (23), Police Inspectors (135), Assistant Police Inspectors/Police Sub Inspector (570) and Police Men (8037). The Police Commissionerate is divided into two regions, North Region and South Region. Each region is headed by an Additional Commissioner of Police. Each region is divided into two zones, hence there are four Zones in Pune City viz. Zone-1, Zone-2, Zone-3, Zone-4. Each Zone is headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). Each Zone is further divided into two or three sub-divisions. Each sub-division is headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). There are 9 sub-divisions in Pune Police Commissionerate. Under each sub-division, there are 3–4 Police Stations. In Pune Police Commissionerate, including Pimpri-Chinchwad Corporation, defence cantonment board(2), there are 31 Police Stations, each headed by a Senior Police Inspector. There are 3–4 Police Chowkies for each Police Station. In Pune Police Commissionerate there are 104 Police Chowkies. Each Police Chowky is headed by an API/PSI ranked Officer.[5]

Organization structure of Pune City Police

Additionally it also has the following departments –

• Additional commissioner (Administration) assisted by DCP HQ – 1 and DCP HQ −2
• Additional commissioner (Law and Order, South Pune) assisted by DCP Zone – 1 and DCP Zone – 2
• Additional commissioner (Law and Order, North Pune) assisted by DCP Zone – 3 and DCP Zone – 4

For the first time, Police Commissioner Meera Borwankar initiated internship program (Pune Police Vidyarthi Abhiyan) for students with the city police. The objective of this unique and first of its kind internship program is to reduce the negative impression of Pune police from the layman's mind and to bring police and public closer. The students are assigned to a police station for eight days. They go to the police station for two hours every day for hands-on experience in policing.

The curriculum includes information on different kinds of terminologies used in police stations like FIR, bailable and non-bailable offences etc., role of citizens in policing, rights of the accused, verification for passport, chowky system, importance of patrolling, different departments of the police, organisational structure of the city police and so on.

Each participating student is issued a certificate under the signature of zonal DCP after completion of the internship.[13]

Pune police have formed a 100-member strong Quick Response Team (QRT) to deal with any kind of terror strike in the city. The QRT operates under the aegis of Special Branch of the Pune City Police. The QRT is headed by a police inspector and divided into 13 teams. Every three months, jawans undergo a physical proficiency test (PPT) and constables below the age of 30 are selected for 5 years. They are trained to handle modern weapons such as Glock pistols, MP5 and AK-47 rifles at high and low frequency firing. The teams have been equipped with sophisticated bullet-proof vehicles, including six Scorpios, four light vans and adequate number of bullet-proof jackets.

The QRT has received training from the elite National Security Guard and Force One.[14]

Pune Police Public School (PPPS), started in the year 2003, is an English medium school under the management of Symbiosis and Pune Citizens' Police Foundation (PCPF). The school is affiliated to the Maharashtra State Board and imparts education from Nursery to Std X. 50% seats are reserved for children of policemen and 50% for the Open students.

The school provides quality education to policemen’s children at affordable fees. A project of the Pune Citizens Police Foundation, PPPS is the first project of its kind in India and now this project has been replicated in places like Nasik, Thane and Nagpur. Total strength in the academic year 2011–12 is 1142. The school is located opposite Rahul Theatre in Shivajinagar.

PPPS was the brain child of then Police Commissioner of Pune, Shri A.N.Roy in the year 2003. He wanted an English medium school for the police personnel’s children at affordable rates, thus came up the KG section of the PPPS. In 2005, primary and secondary classes were added besides the Mini KG.(Nursery).[15]

To maintain traffic discipline, the Pune police have launched Trafficop – an m-development project that enables on-the-spot recording of traffic violations and maintaining of past offences committed by commuters.

Noted Cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar and DCP (Traffic) Vishwas Pandhare during traffic awareness campaign in Pune

Trafficop is a software application installed on a Blackberry mobile device that stores individual vehicle and license data. Traffic officers can enter the vehicle and license details of the offenders on the device and in real time, see the offender's history to issue a penalty accordingly. Each offence acts as a red mark on a report card creating a sense of fear and respect for traffic law amongst citizens. For authorities, readily available data helps them to carry out their duties efficiently. The initiative thus far has succeeded in registering 836,000 offences, suspending 2400 licences, identifying 950 regular offenders, and tracing 200 stolen vehicles.

Higher authorities can monitor the system through a web interface where they can use the data regarding number, type and location of offences to determine traffic patterns and future plans of action.[16]

Trafficop has won many awards since its launch in November 2009.