Additional Director-General of Police (Northern range) N. Shankar Reddy has called upon senior police officers to act judiciously when they take into custody the accused in various cases.
He was addressing police officers after inaugurating the 27th Kozhikode district convention of the Kerala Police Officers’ Association (KPOA) in the city on Wednesday.
“As far as possible, detention should be minimum, and it should be considered only when there are no other alternatives,” Mr. Reddy said.
‘A liability’“Reckless detention will only bring additional liability, especially at a time when police officers are entrusted with many other major investigations,” he said.
The ADGP criticised the tendency of “overenthusiastic” officials to carry out spot detention of people accused of even petty offences and taking them straight to the lock-up for further inquiry. In such situations, the police officer should think about the possible consequences and the challenges before him in ensuring the safe custody of the accused amid the limitations of a police station, he said.
He stressed the need to keep an eye on the physical and mental condition of the accused before taking them into custody. “An unwanted custody, without looking into any of these aspects, will be enough to spoil the entire reputation and job of a police officer,” he warned.
Lock-up securityHe emphasised the need to maintain a secure environment inside the lock-up. He asked the policemen to keep away hazardous objects, including poisonous substances and utensils, from the lock-up. Mr. Reddy said mere CCTV surveillance in lock-ups was not enough. Only “human intervention” would avert various situations.
P. Jayakrishnan, president, KPOA, presided over the function. Deputy Commissioner of Police K.B. Venugopal and senior KPOA leaders were present.
