JKP conference on ‘Urban Policing’
Jammu, Nov 9: Calling for a separate “Urban Police model” tailored to meet the unique demands of urban spaces, the representatives drawn from varied strata of society Friday emphasised that “smarter cities needed smarter strategies to meet new challenges confronting Police.”
This viewpoint emerged during one-day conference on “Urban Policing” organised by Jammu and Kashmir Police at the Conference Hall, DPL Jammu on November 8, in compliance to directives from DGPs/IGPs’ Conference, in a significant step towards enhancing urban policing strategies. The event witnessed the participation of Police officers including DIG JSK Range, Shiv Kumar Sharma; SSP Jammu, Joginder Singh; SSP Traffic City, Faisal Qureshi; all the Zonal SPs of Jammu district, SP PC Jammu; SDPOs; DySP Hq Jammu; DySP PC Jammu and In-Charge DySP DAR.
Prominent citizens including representatives of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jammu; media; academicians; legal luminaries including Law students of Jammu University as well as several officers of civil administration including ADC Law and Order, Jammu; Secretary Jammu Development Authority (JDA); Secretary Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and Superintendent Police Hospital participated in the conference.
During his opening address, DIG JKS Range emphasized the necessity of “smarter policing for smarter cities”, highlighting Jammu Police’s pioneering role in organizing such a comprehensive conference in J&K. He underlined the importance of integrating technology like CCTV networks and Command Control Centres for effective crime control.
The conference featured a series of discussions as well as informative speeches delivered by a diverse group of speakers including SDPO Gandhinagar Kartik Shrotriya; retired Sessions Judge Subash Gupta; President of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu Arun Gupta, Professor Navdeep Kaur from the Law Department of Jammu University; Secretary JDA Vishwajeet Singh, Secretary JMC Chand Singh and DySP Traffic City North Farah Nishat.
SDPO Gandhinagar Kartik Shrotriya threw in-depth light on the various aspects of “Urban Policing”, issues, challenges as well progress made by the country on this front like CCTNS etc. He described the various modern “Urban Police” models developed and adopted in certain cities of the country and the need for the same in J&K.
Key topics during the conference included the “Challenges and expectations of urban policing”; addressing issues like land and sand mafias, floating population, traffic management, terrorism and the need for “Modern Police Stations.”
Speakers proposed several innovative solutions, including installation of CCTV cameras at crucial locations in cities including Bus Stands, vital road links, railway stations, interstate road links, inter-district roads, border roads and all the important public places and junctions.
Innovative solutions also included emphasis on reducing “human intervention” with the use of advanced technology like “Intelligent Traffic Management Systems” (ITMS) and need for latest gadgetry, weaponry, FSL and establishing modern urban Police Stations for urban centres.
A call for a separate “Urban Police model” tailored to meet the unique demands of urban spaces and a proposal to entrust road accident investigations to specialized traffic police stations were among the solutions shared during the conference.
SSP Jammu, Joginder Singh, in his vote of thanks, remarked on the evolving landscape of urban crime and the necessity for proactive measures.
He pointed out the “technological gap” noting that the criminals often remained a step ahead of law enforcement and stressed the need for continued adaptation and innovation in policing strategies.
He also highlighted the significance of such conferences, conducted under the directives of the Government of India, as platforms for developing actionable recommendations for the Government.
It was stated that the event marked a significant step towards creating a safer, smarter urban environment in cities especially Jammu City, paving the way for future collaborations, discussions among stakeholders viz., law enforcement, policymakers and the public.
After the conference, SSP Jammu gave a detailed Power-Point Presentation on “Managing border security and cross border crimes.”
This session was attended by DIG JSK Range, all the Zonal SPs of Jammu district, SP PC Jammu; SDPOs; DySP Hq Jammu; DySP PC Jammu; In-Charge DySP DAR Jammu; several SHOs, In-charge Police Posts besides other Police officers and officials of district.
