Bengaluru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai warned Top Cops against joining hands with land, sand and such other mafias in the State. 

He was speaking after inaugurating the Annual IPS Officers Conclave at the office of DG&IGP here on Monday. The conclave was held after a gap of two years due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Asserting that there will be no compromise in maintaining Law and Order and prevention of crimes in the State, Bommai asked Police Officers to stay away from civil suites concerning land disputes, people indulging in illegal activities and those who are into real estate business, sand mafia and such other networks. 

Pointing out that more importance should be given for improving conviction rate, he said that the legacy of the Department in efficiency, impartiality and firmness should continue. 

Maintaining that the public and the underprivileged must be treated with respect, Bommai stressed on the importance of completing investigations quickly by gathering all evidence and conviction of the accused. 

Noting that senior Police Officers must monitor the progress of investigation and achieve a higher conviction rate, the CM said that at the same time it is equally important to ensure that the convicted get the right quantum of sentence.

Observing that all Top Police Officers including the DG&IGP have to maintain a dashboard of their own, he said that the dashboard must have details of criminal cases along with detected and unsolved ones, the accused and suspects arrested and measures taken to prevent crimes. 

Bommai directed the IPS Officers to develop a separate technical wing for tackling cyber crimes, strengthen the Internal security division, train the Police personnel for meeting new challenges in crime and procure high-speed boats to keep a watch on illegal and nefarious activities in the coastal region. 

Emphasising on the need for modernisation of Prisons, Fire and Emergency Services, Intelligence and Criminal investigation Departments, he advocated the use of advanced technology to crack down on drug peddlers, dark web and such other rackets.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, in his address, said that there is a need for a strategy at the district-level for preventing anti-national activities. Asking the Police Officers to strengthen the beat system in both urban and rural areas, he said that the Station House Officer (SHO) will be held accountable for illegal activities in his/her jurisdiction. The Government has zero tolerance for gambling, drugs peddling, illegal sand mining and such other nefarious activities, he added.

 On the occasion, CM Bommai inaugurated the newly developed facial recognition system (FRS), which has data attached to the software that enables the Police to track the movement of criminals across Bengaluru city through CCTV cameras, by identifying their faces.