JUSTICE AND PEACE

the POLICE DEPARTMENT.

POLICE.

Organisation.

FOR PURPOSES OF POLICE ADMINISTRATION the Kolhapur district is under the control of the District Superintendent of Police, Kolhapur district. The district, is divided into two subdivisions, Northern and Southern, each incharge of a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Assistant Superintendent of Police or Deputy Superintendent of Police). Each of these two Sub-Divisions contains nine police stations. Northern Sub-Division has eight outposts and Southern Sub-Division eleven outposts and one sub-post. The head-quarters of the Sub-Divisional Police Officers of the Northern Division is at Ichalkaranji and that of the Southern Division is at Kolhapur. Each of these Sub-divisional Officers is assisted in his work by an Inspector whose designation is Circle Police Officer. In addition, one Police Inspector in charge of Kolhapur City Police Stations is responsible for supervision over them and traffic control in the city.

For political and allied work, there is an Intelligence Branch for the whole of the district, and it is in charge of one Police Inspector assisted by one Sub-Inspector.

There is also a Crime Branch for the district and it is in charge of a Sub-Inspector, who is also an assistant to the Intelligence Branch.

For the recruitment and training of the subordinate police and other branches of work, there is one Inspector who is designated as Home Police Inspector. Arms, ammunition and other equipment are distributed from District Headquarters by the Reserve Sub-Inspector under the supervision of the Home Police Inspector.

Strength.

Before the integration of the Kolhapur State, the Police personnel in the district numbered 45 officers and 1,376 men. The total sanctioned strength in 1956 was as under:-

This gives a permanent force of 35 officers and 1,027 men and a temporary force of 12 officers and 352 men.

Of the temporary strength, one Sub-Inspector and 11 unarmed head constables have been sanctioned for the Village Defence Organization. The remaining temporary staff is part and parcel of the permanent strength and is likely to be made permanent in due course. This strength also includes three Sub-Inspectors, eight Head Constables and 30 Police Constables (unarmed Branch), which is sanctioned for prohibition and excise work.

The total cost of the police for 1956 was Rs. 19,04,602. The sanctioned strength of the police worked out at one policeman to 2 square miles and 921 persons.

Regular Duties.

The duties of the various members of the police force are arranged according to the importance of their rank.

The District Superintendent of Police, who is executive head of the police force, is invested with the direction and control of the police under the command and control of the District Magistrate. His primary duties are to keep the force under his control properly trained, efficient and contended and to ensure, by constant supervision, that the prevention, investigation and detection of crime in his district are properly and efficiently dealt with by police force. He has to move freely among the people and ascertain their needs generally and has to be in constant touch both with the public and with his subordinates. During his regular tours he inspects every police station and outpost in the district once in a year. He visits the scenes of really serious offences where organised crime is indicated or organised gangs are at work as well as offences which affect markedly the general peace and quiet of the district.

The Assistant Superintendent of Police or Deputy Superintendent of Police, i.e., officers in charge of Sub-Divisions, are responsible for all crime work in their charges. Under the general orders of the District Superintendent of Police, they are responsible for the efficiency and discipline of the officers and men in their Divisions and hold detailed inspections of police stations and outposts in their charge at regular intervals.

In the rural charge, the Inspector designated as Circle Police Officer is attached to the Sub-Division. Chosen for the post owing to his ability to deal with crime and criminals he is employed practically and entirely on crime work and the supervision of bad characters and gangs in his Sub-Division. He supervises and co-ordinates the crime work of different police stations in his Sub-Division.

The City Police Inspector in charge of the City Division performs the same duties as those of Inspector in the rural police stations.

The Home Inspector of Police is the Superintendent of the office of the District Superintendent of Police. Ha is responsible for opening the post of the District Superintendent of Police. He supervises the work of the Headquarters police during the absence of the District Superintendent of Police and the Sub-Divisional Police Officer, disposing of routine and miscellaneous correspondence work, holding proceedings on articles of clothing and accoutrements etc., received from firms and Government Supply Departments, checking and initialling account papers and signing all vouchers as P. A. to District Superintendent of Police.

The Sub-Inspector of Police is the officer in charge of the police station. He is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime in his charge and for seeing that the orders of the superiors are carried out and the discipline of the police under him is properly maintained.

Head Constables are subject to the orders of the Sub-Inspectors placed over them and of the superior officers of the police force. They are to report to the Sub-Inspector all crimes in their beats and also to assist him in investigation and detection of crime. When in charge of a particular post or circle of villages, the Head Constable acts in all police matters in concert with the heads of the village police. When attached to the police station, he holds the charge in the absence of the Sub-Inspector and looks to all routine work including investigation of crime.

The constables perform such duties as they may be ordered by the Head Constables and superior police officers to perform.

Recruitment.

Prior to the 15th August 1947, Assistant Superintendents of Police were recruited in England and India by the Secretary of State for India in accordance with rules made by him from time to time. Since that date the power to recruit them for appointment in connection with affairs of the Union or of any State has been vested by Article 309 of the Constitution of India in the President or such other person as he may direct. Accordingly a new service called the Indian Police Service has been constituted, to which recruitment is made as follows: -

Not more than 25 per cent, of the superior posts in the total number of posts allotted to the State are filled by the State Government by promotion of members of the Maharashtra Police Service and all the remaining posts out of the total number allotted are filled by direct recruitment of persons selected on the results of a competitive examination held by or under the authority of the Union Public Service Commission and appointed to the service by the State Government.

On recruitment to the Indian Police Service, candidates are deputed for traning to the Central Police Training College at Mount Abu. On passing out from the College, the candidates are required to pass a test in Police Regulations, Accounts and certain other subjects in their relation to the working of the Police Department in the State..

Ordinarily Inspectors of Police are appointed by promotion from the lower rank of the police, and no candidate is recruited direct. If, however, it is considered to recruit a direct candidate, the power to make such recruitment has been delegated to the Inspector-General of Police, the selection being made by a Board consisting of (1) the Inspector General of Police, (2) the Director of Public Instruction, (3) a Deputy Inspector-General off Police, nominated by the Inspector-General of Police, and (4) a member of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission.

Recruitment of Sub-Inspectors is made by the Inspector General of Police both by the promotion of officers from the lower ranks of the District Police Force and by direct recruitment. Candidates for direct recruitment may be either from outside the Police or from the Police Department. These candidates are in the first instance selected for training in the Police Training School, as Sub-Inspectors. The selection is made by a Selection Board consisting of the Inspector General of Police assisted by a committee of Deputy Inspector General, and the Principal, Police Training School.

Appointments of head constables are made by the District Superintendent of Police, ordinarily by promotion from among constables with approved service. Direct appointments as head constables are also made with the sanction of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police of the range.

Selection of candidates for appointment as constables is made by the District Superintendent of Police. Men from the district are generally preferred as they are more likely to have local knowledge and to be able to move about and make enquiries unobserved. Recruits for the Armed as well as Unarmed Branches are posted to District Headquarters where they receive training in drill, musketry, law and other police duties, under the direct personal control and supervision of the Reserve Sub-Inspector. They are required to pass an examination before being posted to police stations..

Armed and Unarmed Police.

There are two sections of the Police force, Armed and Unarmed. The armed section in 1956 consisted of 103 Head Constables and 477 Constables i.e., a total of 580 men. The armed force is mainly allotted the duties of guarding jails and lock-ups and escorting prisoners and treasure. The unarmed police are drilled to give them an upright and manly bearing and to enable them to turn, march and salute smartly and correctly. They are taught squad drill and physical exercises without arms. The Armed Police are instructed in squad drill, physical drill with and without arms, rifle and firing exercise, bayonet practice and fighting, riot drill, dacoit operations, guard and sentry duty, skirmishing, ceremonial musketry etc.

Literacy.

Officers and almost all Policemen were literate in the year 1956.

Armament.

The armament of the Kolhapur District Police in 1956 consisted of 581 rifles of.303 bore, 530 muskets of.410 bore, 65 revolvers (21-.455 bore, and 44-.38 bore). There were also 5 carbine machines (Thompson). The district had in 1956 a fleet of 16 motor vehicles including one motor cycle.

There is a Wireless Station at the District Headquarters with one Head Wireless Operator and four Wireless operators working at the station.

Other Duties.

A skeleton staff of three Sub-Inspectors, eight Head Constables and 30 Police Constables (unarmed) has been sanctioned for the district for prohibition and excise work. In 1956, the Police had to deal with 1,319 cases under the prohibition law, as against 1,240 in 1955; 1,366 in 1954; and 1,301 in 1953. The number of persons convicted in 1956 was 37 per 1,00,000 of population as against 34 in 1955 and 50 in 1954. Of the convicted persons per one lakh of population 37 had committed offences relating to liquor as against 32 in 1955 and 48 in 1954. Four hundred and eighty-seven persons were convicted in 1956 as against 411 in 1955 and 617 in 1954. Of these 487 persons convicted, 484 had committed offences relating to liquor and the remaining 3 were concerned in dope offences.

No juvenile offender was convicted during the year under report as in 1955 and 1954.

Figures of crime.

The total number of cases of crimes reported to the police during the years 1953 to 1956 are given below:-

Real serious crime including (1) riots, (2) murders, (3) attempts at murder, (4) culpable homicide, (5) grievous hurt, (6) dacoities, (7) robberies, (8) house breakings and thefts and (9) thefts, varied as follows:-

Prosecuting staff and Prosecution.

In 1956, there were seven Police Prosecutors in the district. The total number of cases conducted by the prosecuting staff was 2,265, out of which 684 ended in conviction. The total number of cases conducted by the executive staff was 1,411 out of which 434 ended in conviction.

Housing.

Government quarters have been provided to 865 members of the police force in the district.

Village Police.

The village police organization is constituted under the Bombay Village Police Act (VIII of 1867). The administration of the village police is vested in the District Magistrate who may delegate any portion of it to an Assistant or Deputy Collector, being a Magistrate of First Class. There are 1,079 villages in the district. Each village or a group of villages has a Police Patil. The Police Patil is required to collect information regarding suspicious looking strangers and send it to the police station. He has to keep a strict watch over the movements of notoriously bad characters under surveillance of the police. When the patrolling police goes to the village, he has to give all the information he possesses about events in the village. It is the duty of the Village Police Patil to render assistance to any sick traveller and to maintain law and order in the village. He is assisted in his work by the village watchmen.

Home Guards.

The Kolhapur District Home Guards Unit is a voluntary body established to supplement the ordinary police force for the protection of persons, property and public safety, and for such other service to the public as it may be called upon to perform.

The Commandant General is in charge of the Home Guards organization and under him are Commandants in each district, who control the district staff. The appointments of the Commandant General and the Commandants are made by Government from among suitable non-official gentlemen, and the posts are purely honorary, carrying no remuneration. The organization is non-political and non-communal. All members have, on enrolment, to sign a pledge to the effect that they will well and truly serve the Government of Maharashtra without fear or affection, malice or ill-will or communal or political bias, and will assist to the best of their ability in the maintenance of peace and prevention of crime against person and property.

The Home Guards are trained in squad drill, lathi drill, use of arms, control of traffic, elementary law, mob fighting, unarmed combat and guard and escort drill. They are also trained in first aid and fire fighting. They are encouraged to take up social work. When called on duty, they enjoy the same powers, privileges and protection as an officer of the police force appointed under any Act for the time being in force. Their functions consist mainly of guarding public buildings, patrolling for the prevention of crime and assisting the police in their ordinary duties. They are issued with uniform and are paid duty allowance at prescribed rates whenever they are called out on duty.

At present there are 8 units of the Home Guards in this district and they are working at the following centres:-

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