PANAJI:
A bill seeking to vest powers in the police to act expeditiously in preventing
and handling law and order incidents and initiating action against offenders,
was introduced in the state Assembly on
Wednesday.
The "The Goa Police
Bill, 2008", tabled by home minister Ravi Naik aims at providing a
comprehensive legislation to cope with fast evolving changes and providing the
police with means to work as an "efficient, people-friendly and responsive
agency".
It also envisages the
constitution of a Police Accountability Authority, State Police Commission and
Police Establishment Board and will bestow upon the police powers to initiate
summary action in cases of petty
offences.
The bill comes some
years after the then president had declined assent to a previous bill. The then
Union home minister Indrajit Gupta had described the bill as draconian, as it
aimed at breaking strikes and provided for the setting up of an auxiliary police
force.
The bill seeks to fill a
vacuum as the Goa police functions under the Police Acts of 1861 and 1888 and
the Madras Police Act, 1859 adopted when Goa was a Union
territory.
The bill seeks to
vest the police with powers to tackle offences by the public on roads and
punishment for certain offences pertaining to public nuisances with fine which
may extend up to Rs 200.
A
state police accountability authority headed by a Lokayukta is proposed to be
set up to investigate suo motu or following charges from the public of
misconduct by police personnel of all
ranks.
The types of offences
listed for investigation are physical hurt, rape or attempt to rape or death in
police custody, or grabbing of land or property, extortion or any other offence
punishable with a sentence of ten years or
more.
The bill empowers the
police to demarcate security zones in areas when insurgency threats or militant
activity arise and to take measures to contain challenges to internal security.
Special provisions envisaging the setting up of a separate crime investigation
unit in each police station, as distinct from law and order, have also been made
in the bill.
It also provides
for the constitution of the police service with one or two police ranges, police
districts, district-level special cells, sub-divisions and a coastal security
police, to be defined by the police department and the government.