Transfers of police officers is routine. But, the transfers of Deputy Commissioners in quick succession is apparently disrupting the stability of policing in Madurai city.
The State police have effected as many as eight transfers in the city since August 2021 when the role of Deputy Commissioners were changed from being functional heads – Law and Order; and Crime – to jurisdictional heads – Deputy Commissioner (North) and Deputy Commissioner (South).
While the change was brought for a unified command for law and order and crime in each of the police districts in the city, the purpose has been defeated by the frequent transfers.
A glance at the transfer order reveals that none of the Deputy Commissioners in both Madurai North and Madurai South have served for more than seven months since 2022. “Though the nature of job is same for the Deputy Commissioners, every individual officer has his/her own style of functioning and approach to issues,” a senior police officer said.
Some police officers want every issue to be reported to him/her and suggestion sought on action to be taken. “Some of them do not even want each and every case reported while appraising him/her of the daily situation report,” the officer said.
The Assistant Commissioners and Inspectors are often perplexed about what would be the right time to call an officer.
Some officers do not want to be disturbed late into the night and few do not want to be disturbed on Sundays. “Even to know their style of functioning will take a few weeks for the field officers. This hesitation often leads to communication gap,” another officer said.
Every time a new Deputy Commissioner takes charge, he/she would take at least three months to study all the prominent issues and prevailing undercurrents in the city which is known for being politically and caste-wise sensitive.
“The communication gap sometimes make harmless incidents snowballing into major law and order issue,” another senior officer said.
Every officer has his own way of approach towards different types of cases. “Even before the Assistant Commissioners and Inspectors of Police try to implement their new ideas and approach among the men, the officer gets transferred. And then, another officer comes along and tries to deal things in another way,” an Inspector of Police said.
A handful of issues like jalllikattu, Chithirai festival, Vinayakar chathurthi procession and guru pujas of freedom fighters Immanuel Sekaran and Muthuramalinga Thevar demand their total attention.
“Only when an officer hangs on to a post for at least a year will he be able to analyse the troublesome issues inherent in each event and come up with innovative solutions for the next year’s event. With complete shakeup of officers twice in successive years, the city witnessed deaths of devotees – first due to stampede and then due to drowning during Kallazhagar’s entry into Vaigai river.
This year, even the services of officers who had served previously in the city could not be availed as these officerr would be busy with election duty in their respective jurisdiction.
Even as transfers were effected one month back to comply with Election Commission’s directives, the woman officer – G.S. Anitha, who was posted as Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), was again transferred back to Tirunelveli within a couple of weeks, mocking the logic behind the transfers of senior police officers. Her replacement is yet to be posted.
