Operation Sampark has bolstered police-public ties, says Special DGP

The Punjab Police have organised as many as 4,153 meetings under Operation Sampark which was aimed at developing strong connections with the community besides addressing their grievances.

This was stated by Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla while holding a police-public meeting at Patti sub-division in Tarn Taran district.

“Since its launch on November 14, the community outreach programme of Punjab Police has achieved a remarkable milestone with 4,153 meetings held by the Police Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police in their respective districts,” said Shukla.

He said the police engaged in regular community meetings, police-citizen interactions, youth engagement, social media engagement and neighbourhood policing.

During the meeting at Patti, Shukla interacted with the residents and listened to their grievances apart from taking first-hand information on police performance. He was accompanied by SSP, Tarn Taran, Abhimanyu Rana.

The Special DGP said that under Operation Sampark, CPs and SSPs have been directed to hold at least two public meetings at the district level in a week with educational, business, social, economic and religious organisations. “Similarly, Superintendents of Police (SPs) and Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) have been asked to hold meetings at the sub-divisional level, while Station House Officers will also conduct regular meetings to strengthen community ties,” Special DGP said.

He said the Punjab Police initiated a special campaign against petty crimes and drug smugglers. The Punjab Police has also launched a ‘Safe Punjab Anti-Drug Helpline number 9779100200’, which allows citizens to report drug traffickers anonymously, he said, while adding that all the police officers have been directed to act promptly on tips received via this helpline, he added.

Later, he held a meeting with the commandants of Border Security Force (BSF) to review the security arrangements at the border and further strengthen the second line of defence.

During his visit, he also made surprise visit to three police stations— Sarhali, Patti and Harike in Tarn Taran — where he inspected the facilities and interacted with police personnel.

He also reviewed the security arrangements at the police stations and issued directions to the Station House Officers (SHOs) regarding the deployment of personnel, station records and other crime-related issues.