SSP ‘steals’ crime register from thana to test alertness, 19 women cops shunted

Meerut: During a surprise early-morning inspection, Meerut SSP Avinash Pandey quietly took away the crime register from the women’s police station after finding it virtually unmanned, with the only police personnel present asleep.

He later shunted 19 women cops posted there for negligence.The move was meant to test staff alertness. Later that evening, Pandey asked the station incharge to produce the crime register, but the staff could not find it and launched a search. CCTV footage was then checked, only to reveal that the “culprit” behind the missing register was the SSP himself.Pandey has lately been conducting surprise inspections at odd hours to check attendance, duty discipline and readiness at police stations.

During the women’s thana inspection, he found no active duty staff available and quietly removed the register without anyone noticing, exposing how an important police record could go missing from the premises without immediate detection.After the lapse came to light, the SSP warned the SHO and transferred 19 women police personnel who had been posted at the mahila thana for a long period to far-off police stations.

Officials said the action was taken to break complacency and ensure that police stations, especially those dealing with women complainants, remained functional and alert at all hours.Pandey told TOI that he did not expect full attendance at such an hour, but the absence of required duty staff could not be ignored. “I wasn’t expecting full attendance at the hour I had gone there, but at least the duty staff that was supposed to be present should have been there.

I gave a stern warning to the SHO and transferred out 19 female cops who had been posted at mahila thana for ages, to far-off police stations,” he said.Police officials said the surprise checks would continue and personnel would be held accountable for absence from duty, poor station readiness and failure to maintain records, particularly during night and early-morning hours when complainants may still approach police for urgent help.