When Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar was first posted in the city as Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) years ago, Bengaluru was a different city with a population of less than 50 lakh. The new Police Commissioner has his work cut out in the city which now has 1.1 crore people. Ensuring the safety of women and curbing the growing drug menace are top on his agenda. The Hindu caught up with him for a chat on the first day of his new job. Excerpts:
What will be your focus area as the Police Commissioner?
Apart from the core policing functions, the focus will be on drug menace which seems to be rearing its head in a big way. It’s not a phenomenon in Bengaluru alone, but seems to be a trend across major metros in the country. There has been an increase in drug peddling in the city. I will focus on putting an end to it.
Previous Commissioners had different focus areas such as social media, new beat system and a state-of-the-art control room. But with every new Commissioner, the focus area seems to change. How will you address this?
For the police, social media is a big feedback channel about not just crimes but also about lack of adequate police response to citizens on the ground. We will continue [our] focus on social media ... Other initiatives will also be continued.
You have earlier held the charge of DCP (South) and then Additional Commissioner in the city, and now the Commissioner. How do you see the city change and with it the challenges for policing?
When I was first posted in the city, the population was less than 50 lakh, which has now shot up to 1.1 crore. The suburbs have outgrown the core areas and pose different challenges. Many areas beyond the city commissionerate [limits] also have influence over the city, which is also a challenge.
A perception of not being safe persists among women and minority communities. How will you tackle this?
Though many measures have been initiated, there seems to be a perception problem, which will be tackled through constant engagement with these groups. We will work towards flagging troublesome areas and spots prone to crimes against women and these communities, and take additional steps to prevent them. Some foreign nationals are also indulging in illegal activities, which will be dealt with sternly as per law.
