NAGARIK COMMITTEE & CLG

NAGARIK COMMITTEE & CLG A Comprehensive Plan of Urban Community Policing in Assam

C-Policing mechanism in operation presently in the form of • Village Defence Organisation in all villages • Nagarik committees in Guwahati city • Thana committees in each PS • Community Liasion Group in District level

VDPs • Under one Secretary and a Naik, they form a team in each village. • They attend monthly meetings in the police station where O/C is the ex-officio president. • They are given an honorium of Rs 500/-per month, per VDP with provisions like hurricane lamps, blankets, umbrellas & torch lights etc.

Functions of VDPS • Patrolling of the village at night. • Information feedback to the police. • Volunteers supply during election duties, relief activities . • Liaison with the police on local issues.

Though a successful experiment , Nagarik Committees in Guwahati city had not become a system for want of legal sanction. Presently, the NCs are practically not operational.

There exists a system of Thana Committee consisting of men drawn from different locations of the PS jurisdiction.

CLGs are to be constituted as per recommendation of UNITED NATIONS Devlt. Project in three lairs. • Police Station level • SP office • DGP office

While VDPs are actual participants in policing, the role of the other categories like Thana Committees and CLGs are largely advisory. Nearly 20,000 regstd and non-regstd VDPs all over Assam will continue to remain the mainstay of police-public partnership in the rural areas.

The new formulation provides for removal of duplicity and proposes an output oriented system of dovetailing various police concerns with the felt needs of the community. The newly mooted concept will be essentially for the urban areas and will be officially called the CLGs and the NCs

Aim The aim of the Nagarik Committee is to involve the members of the public towards evolving an orderly and disciplined society in liaison with police . It is aimed at creating a better security system and healthier life in a particular locality.

Objectives The objective is to foster a police public relation, coordination through institutional mechanism and participation of public to help the law enforcing agencies for a crime free society.

The main objective is to monitor each locality through Committees and Sub-Committees having direct interface with a team of police men who will be entirely committed to that beat of the ward.

Structure of Nagarik Committees • There will be one Committee in each Municipal Ward. In case the Ward is too large, not more than 2 Sub-Committees will be formed per ward. The parent committee may be represented by the sub committees. • There will be special Nagarik Committees to represent specific social groups like Rickshaw pullers Association, NGOs / volunteers working for slum dwellers, juvenile justice and women issues .

There will be a President, 1Vice-president, 1 Secretary, 1 Joint secretary and 15 members per NC. SCs will have a different Jt Secy and 10 different members. President and Secy will be common for the entire ward. The selection of the office bearers and members of all the NCs & SCs will be valid only after obtaining written approval of the district SP

The Officer –In- Charge, of the local Police Station will be the Ex-Officio Secretary . The President will be selected by the members of the locality including the SC areas. The police I/Cs of the out posts will be the Asstt Secy. Of the NCs. They will be entitled to look after the functioning of the SCs

The District level CLG will be constituted by drawing the President and the Joint Secy. of each Nagarik Committee. The Supdt. of Police will convene quarterly meeting of the CLG to take stock of various issues.

Each committee will send five members to constitute the Thana Committee. These members will be from the main Nagarik Committee and one member from each sub - committee. Thana Committee will meet once in a month in the PS. The tenure of each Nagarik Committee will be two years at the end of which another committee will be constituted with the approval of the District Supdt. of Police.

No office bearer of the committee will be an official member of any political party. No person against whom there is a police case of serious nature pending will be a member of NC.

Police beat system 1 SI, 1 Hav and 2 constables will be deployed as per availability per Nagarik Committee jurisdiction from the nearest Police Station/Out post. They will conduct all police functions in that locality in conjunction with the committees on a daily basis. This team will be essentially dedicated for the locality only. The NC/SC will be the beat for the police team—They will not be used anywhere else except in emergency. In addition to normal police work, the beat officer will visit houses of vulnerable categories like senior citizens, children/women hostels etc on a regular basis.

The team will maintain a register on a daily basis with counter signature of the President/Jt Secy. The telephone nos of the police team and those of the committee members will be with each other. The beat officer will also keep mobile nos of all watch and ward and security staff of colonies and establishments.

Functions and Duties To assist the Police in the maintenance of law and order, peace and tranquility whenever needed. To carry out patrol and watch the area allotted for the party to prevent theft, burglaries, dacoities and other unlawful activities for protection of lives and properties.

To ensure that no undesirable element is admitted into the organization and enlisted as member of the Nagarik Committee.

Each Nagarik Committee will carry out a thorough survey in their areas and maintain proper record regarding permanent residents, rented house, tenants, students’ mess, domestic helps and submit the same to police promptly for verification. Each Nagarik Committee will organize night patrolling and the concerned O.C. will provide police personnel to execute the joint night patrolling.

Each Nagarik Committee will keep a watch over the growth of unauthorized gumties, Pan shops, vendors, etc. blocking public roads and foot path. In the event of any such development, the Nagarik Committee will inform the local O.C. who will take immediate necessary action as per law and in consultation with members of the Committee. The Committee shall also report earth cutting or any other environmental destructions.

Nagarik Committee will also keep vigil regarding new faces/strangers in the locality and should immediately inform local O.C. To carry on constructive works, other welfare activities in the locality. They will liaise effectively and assist the Police in smooth maintenance of traffic. They can settle minor community disputes and petty nature offences in consultation with Police.

They will follow-up important police decisions on matters pertaining to their locality. For example, if an area within a particular locality is notified as NO PARKING ZONE , they will enforce the order even if no police presence is there. The Nagarik Committee will appoint volunteers to assist traffic police in maintenance of traffic.

The Committee will liaise with business outlets and inhabitants of various localities and facilitate engagement of private patrol parties against payment which will be made voluntarily by the members of the concerned locality/ business outlets. The Committee will have a system of supervision of such parties and record of the same will be maintained by them. Any other function earmarked by the district CLG and Thana Committees.

They will also bring to the notice of the district CLG specific good work done by a particular committee members or police beat officer for which reward would be given. Immediate disciplinary action will also be taken against any malafide act of any member or beat staff. The district CLG will have a juvenile and senior citizens units who will be essentially looking after the issues of these two categories of people in respect of the entire areas of the municipality areas.

SWOT analysis Strength :- Genuine police public partnership Weakness :- 1) Lack of motivation for important opinion leaders 2) Enthusiasm of the tout class 3) Lack of police manpower and resources 4) Lack of legal sanction.

Opportunity : - • To make the community work as a force • multiplier, 2) Enhance the information base for the police, 3) Bringing down the crime rate, • Make community realise the difficulties • of police, 5) Promotion of national security concerns .

Threat :- • Resistance from most of the PS staff for fear of over work • Transparency that will automatically come about will not be welcome by some • 3) Development of vested interest by beat officer/staff for prolonged acquaintance in a ward 4) Political interference,

Conclusion It is reiterated that the system is an entirely a voluntary one for incorporating the assistance of civil society in police activities. The members of any of the committee will have no right whatsoever to claim any financial return or to get a job in the police department for his services.

For all the legal purposes the Nagarik Committees will be run as per the provisions of the Assam Village Defense Organizations Act 1966 (Assam Act XXII of 1966) . The District Supdt. of Police will issue administrative orders to implement the provisions laid herein

The Dist Supdt of police will also be empowered to issue necy orders to take up measures like photography and survey etc in the interest of maintaining public order. Govt will be moved accordingly to incorporate these provisions by amending VD Act.

Thank You

NAGARIK COMMITTEE & CLG