Guwahati, May 22: The Assam government will hold the commandants’ conference every six months in a bid to bring about a positive change in the rank and file of police battalions in the state and transform them into vibrant battalions capable of meeting the mandate for which they are raised.
Attending the first ever conference of the commandants at the Police Training Centre in Dergaon on Monday, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that considering the important role played by the commandants and the Assam Police Battalions, the commandants’ conference would be organised every six months.
“This will be done to bring about a positive change in the rank and file of the battalions and create a more result-oriented police force,” Sarma said.
He further said that since the Assam Police Battalions were the backbones of the policing system, he would visit the battalions during his district tours.
The chief minister also observed that training played an important role and therefore in shaping the professionalism and readiness of the police personnel, retired army officers would be appointed in the rank of additional superintendent of police to impart training.
“The officers would be in charge of a rigorous training regimen to help the police personnel to meet the changing dynamics of commission of crimes,” he said.
He also said that attention would be given to ensure that the personnel belonging to different battalions were not used for any purpose other than those exclusively connected to bonafide policing.
“Steps will be taken to ensure that there is a positive change in the mindset of the forces of the battalions to make them feel that commandants and forces belonging to different battalions are an integral part of the state police force,” Sarma said.
“Adequate steps will be taken to empower the Assam Police Battalions so that they themselves are complete to deal with law and order in the state. They will also be reoriented to control the mob without using lethal weapons or using them to the minimum extent possible,” he said.
With the continuous improvement of the situation in the state, AFSPA is likely to be lifted from the entire state by the end of this year, he further said.
“In such a situation, Assam Police Battalions would be empowered to replace the Central Armed Police Forces other than the number of CAPFs whose presence is mandatory in the state as per law,” he said.