22 Police Inspectors transferred in Goa : Would it make a difference?

The same Police personnel are transferred, from here and there; while the basic structure of ethics and morality remains the same. Recruitment done via brokers and Training in shambles.

Goa Police fighting fires with locals at Anmod Ghat early this year. PHOTO : Twitter / DGP Goa

On 22nd May 20123, Goa Police has ordered transfer of 22 Police Inspectors with immediate effect.

While some of these like that of Calangute PI Dattaguru K Sawant and Pernem PI Dattaram Raut has been long demanded by citizens and activists for being in hand-in-gloves with law-breaking individuals and agencies and for dereliction of duty.

While Dattaguru Sawant has been assigned to Security Unit at Panjim and Dattaram Raut has been assigned to Crime Branch Ribandr, both positions being considered highly ill-lucrative in Police parlance.

Crime Branch can still fetch you some money, but CM and VIP Security unit, is a punishment posting, because all you hope to get is Salary.

Regular shuffling is highly warranted among Police personnel, in any Police department, to break their monotony, and give them a wide experience; but now a days it has been essential to break their nexus and clout with local money and muscle wielding power-players; who have their run, due to Police patronage. There has been already reports where Police personnel have not joined their new postings, even after several months, because they have been blessed by local guardians of theirs.

While Calangute became the den of all the vices which can be possibly imagined, the same is true for Pernem Coastal belt, where drug Mafia ruled the roost, and NCB had to come and do the job of Police.

Besides, in Pernem; the high profile attack on the Dutch Tourist at a resort in Mandrem, and an elderly couple from Delhi who were attacked to usurp the property of theirs and refusal of the PI to lodge a case against the perpetrators, brought global shame to Goa.

While transfers can change the Police personnel manning the jurisdiction of Police Station; it is highly debatable, whether, it can bring in a change in which Goa Police functions?

The prime example is PI Prashal Dessai, currently PI of Anjuna Police Station (who has not been transferred, for obvious reasons), who while being at Canacona Police Station in South Goa,sided with the accused, and refused to even while a FIR unless and until the court directed him to, in Felix Dahl Murder case.

At Anjuna, he did the same in mid of March, when a group of tourists from Delhi were assaulted brutally and almost killed by locals, he did not file the FIR under section 307 of Indian Penal Code, under political pressure. Later on, a Sub-Inspector was suspended (no further news on him) but he was exonerated.

In the case of Calangute PI, Dattaguru Sawant; he even got to get himself felicitated by the local residents for his exemplary work a couple of months back. All this while, when residents have been up in arm against the local goons and mafia, including touts; and after the intervention of Tourism Minister, Police was forced to take action.

This is not the first transfer of Police Inspectors in the history of Goa, nor the last one.

When the Police Force of Goa, itself is full of persons who are ethically and morally corrupt, because they are able to get recruited on money and muscle power, how can the transfers would rejuvenate the policing in Goa?

Goa Police Bill is languishing since decades, because the Politicians are afraid, this would remove all the clout, that they have. After all, if the Police Force becomes independent in Goa and senior officials do not have to listen to whims and fancies of 8th and 9th standard pass MLAs, also rapist MLAs; then what they would do? They would be powerless.

Transfers are just for OPTICS. Some Police Inspectors who earn multiple of Lac a month from other incomes, go back to earning only their salary. And those, who have been languishing at salaried position, now get a chance to cover for he lost opportunity.

Law & Order and Policing in Goa would remain the same, irrespective of transfers, unless and until, the reforms start in Goa Police right from recruitment.

The change in Goa Police which is required is both of aptitude and attitude; and not transfers. But sadly, no one is working on it.