SAS Nagar, September 3: Making policing more accessible to citizens and strengthening public confidence in the police force will be a key focus of newly appointed SSP Varun Sharma, IPS, who assumed charge of SAS Nagar on Wednesday.
During his first interaction with the media, Sharma outlined a citizen-centric policing strategy alongside a firm crackdown on organised crime, gangsters and extortion. He said the district police would work towards creating a system in which citizens could approach the police easily and receive timely responses to their grievances.
Sharma said he would personally hear public complaints during fixed office hours and urged residents to share information about drug peddling, criminal activities, cyber fraud and domestic violence. He assured citizens that complaints would be addressed in a time-bound manner.
At the same time, the SSP made it clear that there would be no leniency towards organised criminal networks. Gangsters, extortion rackets and criminal syndicates would face a firm police response, he said.
To strengthen policing on the ground, Mohali Police will intensify night domination exercises and increase static and roving nakabandi at strategic locations. Greater visibility of Dial 112 Emergency Response Vehicles will also be ensured to facilitate rapid police intervention during emergencies and incidents of street crime.
Sharma also underlined the importance of community participation in maintaining law and order. The district police, he said, would work closely with market and trader associations as well as Resident Welfare Associations to identify local security issues and develop practical solutions.
With SAS Nagar forming an important part of the Tricity, traffic management during protests and demonstrations will also remain a priority. Sharma said the police would ensure that such situations did not unnecessarily disrupt commuters and that ambulances, school transport and other essential services continued to move freely.
The SSP further said a comprehensive manpower audit would be conducted to make optimum use of the available police strength. Personnel deployed on non-core assignments would be assessed and, wherever feasible, shifted towards police stations and frontline units.
Sharma thanked Chief Minister of Punjab and DGP Punjab for reposing confidence in him and said the district police would work towards maintaining law and order while ensuring responsive and people-oriented policing.
Earlier, Sharma received a Guard of Honour from a police contingent and was welcomed by senior officers, including SP (City) Dilpreet Singh, SP (H) Navreet Singh Virk and SP (Investigation) Sourav Jindal.
