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Pattan|Oct, 10: Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Baramulla Gurinderpal Singh on Saturday urged people to approach police with their grievances and provide direct feedback on officers’ performance, saying public cooperation and accountability within the force were essential to improving policing.
Addressing media persons at the SDPO office in Pattan, Singh said police were committed to resolving public grievances, including complaints related to theft, lost mobile phones and other offences. He said investigations into several cases had demonstrated the importance of professional policing, sustained efforts and cooperation from the public.
“The most important thing for success is the public,” the SSP said, crediting civilians for providing CCTV footage, statements, information and other technical evidence that helped investigators crack cases.
He urged people to maintain faith in the police and approach the department whenever they faced a problem, assuring them that officers were available round the clock to address their concerns.
“We are always at your service 24×7, 365 days,” he said.
Emphasising accountability, Singh said people dissatisfied with the progress of an investigation could approach senior officers through the established police hierarchy. Complainants could first contact the investigating officer and then escalate the matter to the police post or station in-charge, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) and the SSP.
If the grievance remained unresolved, they could approach senior officers, including the Deputy Inspector General and Inspector General of Police, he said.
Singh said public feedback should not necessarily be viewed as a complaint against an individual officer, but as an opportunity to identify shortcomings and improve the functioning of the department.
“People must inform senior officers if they feel an officer at any level is not performing effectively,” he said, adding that feedback could help determine whether an officer required training or other corrective interventions.
“If a person needs training, we will focus on training,” he said.
The SSP also stressed that preventing repeat offences and rehabilitating offenders required coordinated efforts involving families, communities and the government.
He said police action alone could not ensure lasting reform, describing rehabilitation as a “whole-of-society” and “whole-of-government” responsibility. Families and the immediate social environment, he said, had an important role in preventing individuals from returning to criminal activity.
Singh, however, said an offender’s willingness to change remained crucial, adding that even the best rehabilitation facilities and policies could have limited impact if an individual was unwilling to give up criminal behaviour.
He said police used legal procedures, arrests, prosecution and court proceedings to make repeat offenders understand the consequences of their actions and their impact on society.
While many people changed their behaviour after their first involvement in an offence, habitual offenders required stronger legal action, he said, adding that enhanced prosecution and punishment measures were available under the law.
The SSP also credited police personnel for their professionalism and investigative efforts, saying sustained fieldwork, technical inputs and public assistance had contributed to the resolution of several theft cases in the Pattan and Kreeri subdivisions.
He reiterated that cooperation between police and the public was essential not only for solving crimes but also for strengthening public confidence, improving accountability and maintaining peace in the district.
