Mandeep Singh Sidhu assumes charge as DIG
Mandeep Singh Sidhu, Deputy Inspector General, assumed office on Thursday at Patiala. He replaces IPS officer HS Bhullar, who has been transferred to Bathinda.
Talking to The Tribune, the 2008 batch IPS officer said his priority would be to ensure “more public participation against drugs and illegal activities” for which he sought the cooperation of the people of Patiala, Sangrur, Malerkotla and Barnala.
“Meetings of the entire Patiala range would be held for a fortnightly review with special emphasis on holding drug de-addiction camps to save those youth, who have fallen prey to drugs, while legal action would be taken against drug smugglers and their aides,” he stated.
Sidhu further said intensive monitoring would be conducted by the Patiala police to curb the spread of crime and drugs. “The police will act as friends of people as they are also a part of the society. The police will always be at people’s service to make the district free of crime and anti-social activities. Apart from this, the doors of my office are open to the general public and they can come to get their problems resolved,” he added.
Later, in the afternoon Sidhu held a meeting with senior officers from the range and asked them to ensure zero tolerance against drugs and criminals.
He also said: “I look forward to interacting with the people of the city. Without public support, police cannot work at its best. So I plan to initiate regular public and police meetings soon.” Sidhu said priority would be accorded to gaining the confidence of people.
A seasoned cop, Sidhu, comes with a lot of field experience and is known for his transparent approach towards his work, Sidhu has earlier served as the Commissioner of Ludhiana and before his promotion as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in various districts, including Patiala, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib and Khanna. As Ludhiana Commissioner he undertook various works for the betterment of the police force and made many infrastructural developments in the Police Lines.
During his last stint as the Sangrur SSP he promoted skating and shooting clubs in the Police Lines area, providing the best of facilities for the children of policemen.
