The Madurai city police is set for a major revamp in which the role of Deputy Commissioners of Police – Law and Order and Crime – will be changed from functional to jurisdictional.
Similarly, the responsibilities of the Assistant Commissioners of core city area – Anna Nagar, Tallakulam, Thilagar Thidal and Town – will also be changed from functional to jurisdictional. The number of ranges which is now six, including that of Tirupparankundram and the newly-added High Court, has been proposed for an increase to nine.
“When the proposal, now under the consideration of the State government, comes into effect, the city police will not have separate DCs for Law and Order and Crime, but DC North and DC South , who would take care of both the functions in their respective jurisdictions,” Commissioner of Police, S. Davidson Devasirvatham, said.
The perception of officers had, over the period, changed and often the functional assignments of Deputy Commissioner (Crime) and Assistant Commissioners (Crime) were looked down upon, he said.
“Many officers think that only posts of DC and AC - Law and Order - are prestigious and many are unwilling to work as DCs and ACs Crime,” the Additional-Director General of Police said.
As a result, the involvement of officers in crime prevention and crime detection left much to be desired, many officials said.
Some complained that the officers of the crime wing received a step motherly treatment right from strength of workforce, and other infrastructure like office buildings and vehicles.
Though the idea of bifurcation of work into law and order and crime was only to have more focused roles, it had only failed.
While at present, four ranges have two ACs each, Tirupparankundram and High Court ranges have one AC each.
Under the proposal, the jurisdictions of the ranges will also be brought down to make them compact. “For all practical purposes, smaller jurisdictions will have better administration,” the Commissioner said.
While Town and Thilagar Thidal ranges have five police stations each, Tallakulam has three stations and Anna Nagar four.
In the redrawn proposal, only new Tallakulam range will have four polices stations.
As a result, the number of ranges will be increased to 10 by adding four new ranges.
While Tirupparankundram range will have two police stations and High Court Range only one. All the six other ranges will have three police stations each.
“In this new arrangement, the ACs will have the freedom for deputing manpower from Law and Order to Crime and vice versa depending upon the time to time need,” the Commissioner said.
Thus the manpower utilisation will be to the optimum level and is expected to pave way for effective policing.
The new police ranges and their police stations proposed are as follows:
Teppakulam : Teppakulam, Temple, Vilakkuthoon
Keeraithurai : Keeraithurai, South Gate, Jaihindpuram
Avaniyapuram: Avaniyapuram, Anuppanadi ( new station proposed), Perungudi ( proposed to come under city from Madurai rural district)
Tirupparankundram: Tirupparankundram and Tirunagar
Tideer Nagar: Tideer Nagar, Subramaniyapuram, S.S. Colony
Thilagar Thidal : Thilagar Thidal, Karimedu, Kochadai ( new police station proposed )
Tallakulam: Tallakulam, Tiruppalai (n ew Police station announced ), Government Rajaji hospital and Mathichiyam
Sellur: Sellur and Koodal Pudur
Anna Nagar: Anna Nagar, Pudur, Mattuthavani ( new police station announced )
High Court: High Court
