Chandigarh: As per the media reports the Punjab government will no longer have two supervisory levels in its policing structure. Dubbed as a police reform move the state on Friday abolished the post of DIG in different police zones. Also, IGPs have been vested with supervisory powers.
The Punjab police will work with seven available police ranges namely- Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda, Ropar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana. Each of these will be headed by an Inspector General of Police (IGP). Earlier, four police zones were headed by a DIG each and seven by IGs. Now on, three districts will form a police range.
Furthermore, a new additional post, that is of ADGP (Border), has been created for a greater vigil at the India-Pakistan border. Harpreet Singh Sidhu, in-charge of the Special Task Force to fight the drug menace, has been given the additional charge. With orders abolishing the police ranges of Ropar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana expected tomorrow, the state will have four ‘spare’ DIG-level officers, media reports said.
As reported by the media state chief minister Amarinder Singh claimed that it is the beginning of police reforms aimed at providing good governance,he further added that the tenure of “senior operations men” would be fixed. He did not mention any posts. But sources in the police department said the Director General of Police (DGP), Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) and Inspectors General of Police (IGPs) will have a fixed one-year tenure.
In the name of further expanding the state cabinet in mid of July Amarinder Singh will be increasing the number of portfolios like Home (police, Intelligence and jails), Horticulture and Animal Husbandary Departments to be kept at his disposal.