Metro cops begin their beat



Kantipur Report


KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - In a bid to curb rising criminal activities in the valley, the newly formed Kathmandu Metropolitan Police (KMP) began its operation in three districts of Kathmandu valley on Friday.
According to sources, Additional Inspector General (AIG) for the Valley Police Office, Deepak Thangdel will head the new police body while another Deputy Inspector General (DIG) will be designated its second-in-command.

Speaking at a programme organised at the Metro Police Office, Rani Pokhari today, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula said that the government had brought forward the notion of a metro police force to move ahead with the times as per the people's wish.

At present, 7000 of Kathmandu's finest are being trained for the job out of which the best will be selected.

For the first phase, seven police AIGs and seven police inspectors have been selected.

There will be nine separate divisions each under the command of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). The divisions include Peace and Security, Administration, Human Resource Management, Intelligence, Special Security, Traffic Management, Investigation, Technical Support and License Issuing Divisions.

According to sources, there will be three tiers of police offices including Range, Circle and Sector offices under Kathmandu Metropolitan Police. The Range offices would be under the command of a Superintendent of Police while DSP and Inspectors would head Circle and Sector Police Offices respectively. There will be three Range Police Offices, seven Circle Offices and 80 Sector Offices in three districts of Kathmandu valley. Another Rural Police Branches under each Range and Circle Police Office in the valley will look after rural areas of the districts.

The Police have said that over 70 Control Rooms Vehicles (CRVs) will be kept on standby at different locations of the city once the metro police becomes a full-fledged operation. Besides police personnel, each CRV will be equipped with latest, state-of-the-art technology including GPS, GIS, CCTV, DVL, walkie-talkie and wireless telephone. As soon as police are provided with information about any crime, the CRV stationed closest will be the first to respond to any incident.

Police Headquarters has also made plans to convert various Ward Police Offices including Balaju, Kalimati, Boudhha, Maharajgunj, Baneshwor, Chapagaun (Lalitpur) and Thimi (Bhaktapur) into Circle Police Offices under the first phase of the KMP.

Altogether 5,340 police personnel are currently deputed in three districts in the Kathmandu valley. According to police, a total of 13,752 police personnel would be deputed in Kathmandu valley under the KMP.

The new police body will have authority to exercise semi-judicial powers as those currently enjoyed by Chief District Officer. Nepal Police said it proposed the metropolitan police in a bid to curb growing instances of criminal activities in the capital city. The government had recently decided to release Rs 50 million to fund the new police set up.