Northern states resolve to set up common police & drug secretariat

The proposal to have common Police and Drug Secretariat, both in physical and virtual space, was mooted by Haryana DGP Manoj Yadava.

Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta proposed quarterly joint meetings of northern police chiefs on rotation basis. Gupta also proposed that senior police officers heading Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Special Operations Group (SOG), Special Task Force (STF) and Special Cells should hold bi-monthly meetings for sharing vital information related to drugs and gangsters.

It was also decided at the meeting to develop and implement a common IT based platform of member states for quick sharing of information to achieve better coordination and results in the drive against drugs and gangsters. All the Police chiefs agreed to these proposals.

The state police chiefs also stressed on the need for modernisation of jails and for involvement of various stakeholders, such as health and education departments, apart from NGOs, in the drive against drugs, especially for effective ‘demand reduction’.

Himachal Pardesh DGP Sita Ram Mardi said that there should be intelligence sharing and joint operations among the neighbouring states to cut the supply chain of narcotics. Punjab and Himachal decided to carry out joint operations in the Kangra-Pathankot area. He also proposed that biometric identification should be made mandatory for obtaining mobile phone connections and for opening of bank accounts.

Chandigarh DGP Sanjay Beniwal advocated introduction of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the northern states to deal effectively with gangsters and hardcore criminals. On his suggestion, it was also decided that the possibility of extending Punjab Artificial Intelligence System (PAIS) to other states would be explored.

Rajasthan ADGP (ATS & SOG) Anil Paliwal proposed that effective measures be taken for deportation of foreigners involved in drugs. Uttarakhand IG (Law and Order) Deepam Seth mooted the idea to evolve a joint comprehensive policy on anti-drug measures for member states by involving all the stakeholders and departments.