IMPHAL/ITANAGAR: Northeast has three of India's Top 10 police stations with Manipur securing the top spot, besides Arunachal Pradesh at third and Sikkim at seventh, according to the 2020 rankings announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday.
The police stations were selected on the basis of their performances, including the manner in which their personnel dealt with crime against women and weaker sections of society and also property disputes, officials added.
According to the police officials, the NongpokSekmai in Thoubal district of Manipur secured the first position, Kharsang Police Station in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh the third and Pakyong Police Station in Sikkim's East District bagged the seven position.
Police officials in Imphal and Itanagar said they are successful in dealing with most of the missing persons reports — unidentified found person and unidentified bodies.
Manipur Chief Minister N.Biren Singh and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart PemaKhanduhave congratulated their police personnel for their policing prowess.
The others in the list are: Tamil Nadu (2nd), Chhattisgarh (4th), Goa, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Uttar Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Telangana among the ten.
They have secured the position among 750 police stations initially selected from all the States and Union Territories.
An official statement on Thursday said that the list was compiled on the basis of a survey conducted under challenging circumstances by the Home Ministry.
"It was difficult to access police stations located in remote areas during the COVID-19 pandemic due to various restrictions on movement. Consequently, the survey was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Government," the statement said.
The Union Home Ministry took this step following the directions of the Prime Minister NarendraModi, while addressing the Directors General of Police during the 2015 police conference at Kutch in Gujarat.
The Prime Minister had directed that parameters should be laid down for grading police stations and assessing their performance based on various feedbacks.
According to the statement, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that a vast majority of police stations short-listed from the thousands of police stations in the country are police stations located in small towns and rural areas.
The objective was to rank the top 10 police stations out of 16,671 in the country through data analysis, direct observation and public feedback.
Citizens who were approached for feedback included 4,056 respondents, covering approximately 60 people at each short-listed location.
All States participated in this year's survey with full co-operation to complete the survey during the pandemic period.
The statement further said that the annual ranking of police stations recognises the hard work of police personnel, encourages police forces and also provides feedback on many aspects of policing in the country for future guidance.
"It also provides a picture of the state of physical infrastructure, resources and deficiencies at the level of police stations.
BORDUMSA CORRESPONDENT ADDS: The Kharsang Police Station located in a remote location in the easternmost edge of the nation has made the Arunachal proud by bagging the third rank in the list featuring the top 10 police stations of the country.
It is clear that the team Kharsang police was extended the honour after being adjudged on the basis of rate of conviction in cases of crimes against women, crimes against SCs/STs, as well as property offences, missing persons, unidentified found person and unidentified dead bodies. It also fulfilled other parameters like crime prevention and proactive measures, disposal of cases, maintenance of public order, infrastructure assessment and citizens' feedback.
Meawhile, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister PemaKhandu also took to Twitter to share the news of the achievement. "Happy to know that Kharsang Police Station has been declared the third best in the country by the Ministry of Home Affairs in its 2020 survey. I congratulate Arunachal Police, Officer-in-Charge of Kharsang Police Station and its staff for the exemplary work," tweeted Khandu.
Similarly, MinisterKamlungMossang — who is also the local MLA of the Constituency, said, "We are proud of Team Kharsang Police led by OC KM Das."
SomlungMossang — the local MLA of nearby Bordumsa who lives in Kharsang-Miao area, said, "Kharsang situated along the Assam-Arunachal boundary has been so far known for several sensitive reasons over a period of time. Today, it has come to the national limelight for an inspirational reason. In fact, this achievement reflects the peace-loving outlook of the local tribal population."
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