TP Senkumar carps at IPS criminals'

Thiruvananthapuram: The number of criminals in the state police is more at the higher levels compared with that at the bottom levels, according to T.P. Senkumar who demitted office as state police chief on Friday. Mr Senkumar, who had returned to the hot seat after winning a legal battle with the state government, also issued a circular on the last day in office directing police officers to end the practice of shifting police officials before completing their prescribed tenure due to pressure.

“If corruption at the level of civil police officers is around one per cent, it goes up in the higher-ups and it would be around four per cent at the level of IPS officers," Mr Senkumar said in his farewell address here.

Mr Senkumar, who was given a farewell parade at SAP ground here, said he had a cordial relation with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after he returned as SPC but there were attempts to portray it as otherwise. “With the retirement from service I would be relieved from the restrictions of conduct rules and would continue to do whatever I can do for the welfare of the people and the police,” he added.

Mr Senkumar said in the circular that the reason for the transfer should be clearly mentioned if a police officer is transferred prior to the prescribed tenure. A review in 2014 and 2015 revealed that about 1000 officers in the ranks of sub-inspectors and below were transferred flouting tenure norms. As per Kerala Police Act, officers from the rank of state police chief till station house officers should have a minimum tenure of two years. As per police manual sub-inspectors, senior civil police officers and civil police officers should have minimum tenure of three years. Officers who make lapses should be subjected to disciplinary action instead of transfer, the circular said. 

Curiously, Mr Loknath Behera who succeeded Senkumar as SPC, endorsed the former’s view on corruption and vowed to deal strongly with it. Talking to reporters after taking over as SPC, Mr Behera said he would stress on using technology to deliver better police services to the public. Steps for online filing of FIRs would be taken, he said.