Greetings!
I feel privileged and overwhelmed to be at the helm of Maharashtra police which is rated as the best in the country. While there have been several initiatives to improvise policing methodologies in view of changing crime scene, there is always more that can be done. It’s been eight years since the terrorists attack of 26/11 happened in Mumbai. The unfortunate and dastardly terrorists attack shook not just the Mumbai city but the state, the country and the world. As we recall and pay our tributes to the martyrs of 26/11 and innocent people who lost their lives, it becomes pertinent that not just the police but we as responsible citizens of the country become more vigilante and work cohesively with the police.
As citizens we expect a lot from police, we want them to arrive soonest possible at the scene of crime, which is not practically possible at all the times, disproportionate numbers of police to population ratio being one of the prime reasons apart from many others. Hence, as citizens we need to extend a helping hand to the police because as locals of an area it becomes easier for us to keep a tab on suspicious elements and activities in our area. We can provide useful intelligence and aid police in crime prevention and detection. The police on the other hand needs to work on its image as Protector and improve its Accessibility so that citizens feel the comfort and approach them without any hesitation.
In short, community policing has become vital tool and we have to practice it more extensively. We need to launch more awareness drives in association with the communities so that we have a generation that is ready to meet the challenges of changing times. It is also important that police is well informed and equipped in the usage of latest technology in order to meet today’s multi –faceted challenges in cyber crime and other economic offences that have increased due to rapid embracement of technology across age groups of our society.
We are in the midst of the festive season and recent developments in Kashmir have put the country and our commercial capital Mumbai city on high alert 24×7. But our police force is always on the vigil to ensure that citizens are safe and secure. As a mark of respect, this issue of Protector is dedicated to the brave martyrs of the police force who lost their lives during the 26/11 terror attack. We shall ever be grateful for their bravery and dedication. We have learnt our lessons and we have taken all possible corrective measures so that these untoward incidents never happen.
The issue also contains several other informative stories of interest to the readers. I shall be in touch with you from time to time through Protector which has been connecting cops with the communities since the last seven years.
Happy Reading!
Satish Mathur
DGP, Maharashtra
