The Punjab Police have decided to revive the village defence committees (VDCs) across the state, especially in border districts, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, on Monday.
The VDCs will comprise trusted and prominent persons of the village including retired police or Army personnel, school principals and government officers etc.
“These committees will work as eyes and ears of the police and supplement the efforts of Punjab Police to wipe out drugs, terrorists and gangsters from the border state,” said the DGP while addressing senior officers through a virtual meeting to review the ground-level law and order situation in the state.
The DGP directed them to ensure effective action against drugs and gangsters. He asked field officers to revive the beat system. Yadav said one beat officer should be dedicated to each beat area so that accountability of the police officer for specific areas should be fixed.
The DGP also asked for identification of drug hotspots at every police station level and special focus on pharmaceutical drugs to root out the menace from the state. He warned that the concerned SHO will be held responsible in case of leniency in drug cases.
Yadav asked district heads of police to use effective law against anti-social elements and also invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in terror activities.
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Emphasising on the need to bring professionalism into policing, Yadav asked field officers to register even minor IPC cases, take preventive actions, open history sheets, solve cases using technical inputs and keep track of bailed-out criminals.
He asked all the Police Personnel on field duties to be more accessible to the common public and build friendly relations with citizens by picking up their calls, holding public meetings, involving youth clubs, etc.
