Delhi Police Commissioner Sachidanand Shrivastava carved a new narrative for Delhi Police
New Delhi, June 30
As Delhi Police Commissioner Sachidanand Shrivastava hangs his boots on June 30, BW Policeworld looks at his remarkable contribution to Delhi Police, police health and welfare initiatives, boost to women police, modernization and betterment of the the 'DilkiPolice'
Delhi Police Commissioner, Sachinand Shrivastava is the 1985 batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre.
Shrivastava, a B.Tech and an LLB by qualification, has served in various capacities in the Delhi Police, which included heading Traffic and the Special Cell. He shot to limelight when he headed the special cell where he played a key role in cracking Indian Mujaihideen terror network. It was under his watch the IPL cricket betting scam was probed.
Delhi CP, Sachidanand Shrivastava was specially appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to join the Delhi Police while the North East Delhi riots were on. Since the initiation of his tenure, he began handling tough situations from North East riots to the pandemic.
Immediately after taking over, he rushed to the North East Delhi. It was under his observation that the police selected special officers who have the understanding of riot situation and deployed them. With his first hand experience of serving the CRPF in J&K he studied such places with narrow lanes, high population and crowded streets (like in J&K) and applied techniques to control the mob. What really aided the victims was he going around and giving assurance to citizens of safety and action. Under his leadership, immediate action was taken who violated curfew orders. The people stranded and living in camps were heard and hundreds of cases were filed and provided security. The sense of security was alarmed.
Riot control and law and order was not the only focus for CP Shrivastava, he walked an extra mile and met various delegations when riots got over and heard their complaints. They demanded more security, rebuilding of damaged homes and hundreds of cases were filed. The focus of people shifted from aggression to security, rebuilding to later justice.
When the pandemic hit the country leading to a nationwide lockdown in March-April 2020, CP Shrivastava took the onus to ensure the lockdown is followed and also be humanitarian.
Shrivastava first ensured his policemen who were exposed to the virus as the frontline officers imposing lockdown, unlocking, patrolling and implementing the Covid restrictions were safe.
Instead of getting overwhelmed by the situation, he addressed the issues one at a time. Shrivastava enforced the lockdown through patrolling and barricading. He and his team suggested and ensured that lockdown should be imposed in a manner where they have space to fulfill their daily needs. The police first provided logistics to hundreds of jobless migrant workers were without food.
Seeing the acute need of the hour, he initiated a Covid Helpline where citizens could call and our dedicated staff heard complains and categorized those complaints- food, senior citizens needs, pregnant mothers, stranded citizens. Many institutions, temples Gurudwaras were contacted to provide food for both migrant and stranded persons. Hundreds of movement passes for stranded citizens, senior citizens and women.
Delhi CP Shrivastava has always had a vision to boost the morale of policemen for which he came up with a unique idea to incentivize the work of those policemen which go unnoticed than those who are in such agencies.
He gave importance to the issues of missing children, street crimes, rewarding policemen on who on the road ensuring safety to policemen, crime against women and even boosting those policemen who are in training centres. Shrivastava would be known to initiate out of turn promotion to constabulary who would find over 50 missing children in three months. The policemen were boosted with rewards to detect street crimes to bring security to the citizens walking on road. In addition to that, the crimes against women were made low priority to highest priority.
Interestingly, in another unheard of step, he came up with the initiative that for policemen posted in training that after three years, they would get a posting of their choice.
Sachidanand Shrivastava is looked at a Police Commissioner with a new narrative the for police force. He appointed Monica Bhardwaj as the DCP Delhi Crime Branch, the first woman to head the branch and promoted the woman police constable Seema Dhaka out of turn for finding 76 missing children.
Shrivastava strongly believes that women officers should be appreciated that they can do as well as male officers and even better. While tracing the missing kids, Seema Dhaka outdid her job and found 76 kids instead of 50. The CP understood her efforts and the risk she took to find the kids and promoted her. After her, he promoted three more officers. Women IPS officers are holding key posts in Delhi Police from crime branch to police control room, training to traffic districts to terror cases purely because of their ability and good work. Shrivastava stated he wants the women officers to get equal position with me and ensure they head key investigations.
While handling the pandemic, Delhi Police saw dual challenge of rise of cyber and economic crimes.
The CyPad is the leading or nodal agency that co-ordinates all cyber cells of Delhi Police and aides investigation and detection. All cyber cells have dedicated policemen who have the knack of handling cyber cases. CP Shrivastava thought a little more and decided to rope in IT experts to aide policemen. Hundreds of IT professionals are aiding the Delhi Cyber Police in detections. The cybercrime cell witnessed a two fold increase in the incidents between during the peak of the lockdown when newer online frauds, cyber harassment, phishing attacks and other crimes were recorded, we immediately upgraded out cyber policemen with new techniques of detections.
The cybercrime cell recorded over 300 cases, some at a huge scale of frauds and arrested more than 280 persons in last 2020. We took help of social media platforms and made short videos alerting citizens.
Delhi Police started a dedicated website for Economic Offences Wing last year. The surge in cyber economic cases were dealt with utmost importance during the pandemic.
The EOW has been investigating some high profile fraud and cheating cases and now with a dedicated establishment, the cell has received the impetus for more investigation. During the pandemic, as the cybercrime cases rose alongwith the economic offences many citizens lost their money due to cyber financial frauds and other online platforms. With the start of a special website in June 2020 soon after the lockdown and the agency received over 800 complaints were received by the agency and 243 persons were arrested in 2020 various economic offences. A comprehensive online complaint lodging application was developed for Economic Offences Wing wherein complainants can file a complaint regarding economic offences. This is linked with the Integrated Complaint Management System of Delhi Police (ICMS).
The special agencies of Delhi Police; crime branch and special cell made heavy crackdowns in the organized crime rackets after carrying out encounters recently.
There are pockets in Delhi which are under the influence of organized crime of extortion, threatening, liquor, drugs and gambling. The special cell and the crime branch have trained policemen to deal with such gangs. There are gangs that recently developed too which these agencies successfully brought under control. We are further resolved to completely uproot such gangs in Delhi whether they are operating from the adjoining states or in the national capital.
CP Shrivastava decided to give utmost compassion, care and help to the policemen who died in line of duty.
In 2020, while 32 Delhi policemen died due to Covid 19, 293 were natural deaths, accidents, suicides among the police.
The CP observed that Covid is not the only fear but they had to ensure complete good health of the policemen. Hence, he started a compulsory annual health checkup for 40+ policemen.
Shrivastava through the joint efforts of Pratima Shrivastava heading the Police Families Welfare Society opened wellness centres in seven police colonies for the police families for health checkups. Following the death of 10 policemen by suicide, they set up counsellors and also started online counselling.
The biggest aide Shrivastava extended to the families of the policemen was increasing the compensation amount. Following the example of many forces where the officers who died in line of duty have compensation of Rs one crore, we increased the compensation for those getting Rs. five lakhs to Rs. 28 lakhs and those receiving Rs. 30 lakhs to Rs. 78 lakhs.
Some unique modernization plans rolled out for Delhi Police under CP Shrivastava's vision for improvisation and betterment amidst the pandemic.
Under his advise, Delhi Police came up with the e-Beat Book for policemen- a digital solution for data collection, analysis and retrieval processes. Now, a Beat officer can have all relevant data i.e. crime, criminal, dossier, finger print, vehicle registration etc. on one hand held device, while working anywhere in the field without any need to return to his Police Station to search for the same in the record room. Similarly, we started ICMS- Integrated Complaint Monitoring System (ICMS) is an innovative, unified platform for lodging and monitoring complaints. Every complaint on the ICMS is monitored digitally and the complainant is apprised about the status of enquiry on his complaint. The Samadhan service which we just launched has received immense response from citizens. Our Tatpar app- the SOS Button provided on the home screen to enable a user to place a call on an emergency contact number (SOS) of their choice or to reach out to the Police Control Room with a single touch.
The Himmat plus app, started under CP's guidance, is an emergency response system especially for women citizens where the women can register their auto rickshaw or cab number, send a SOS where the alert with video and audio reached Delhi Police Control Room. We started initiatives for police and citizens with equal attention of safety and welfare of both.
During the second wave, the Delhi Police wons hearts of people across the country with their relentless services of supplying oxygen cylinders, concentrators and crackdown on black marketeers. Shrivastava instructed strictest crackdown on blackmarketeers leading to shutting down of fake Remdesivir manufacturing units in Uttrakhand, fake scam of supplying oxygen running from Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and high end restaurant owners were arrested for hoarding and blackmarketing of oxygen cylinders.
Over 300 FIRs were registered and 91 Covidcheat were arrested for selling fake life saving drugs, cheating in supply oxygen cylinders and more.
Shrivastava had introduced direct heavy fine amount of Rs. 2000 for not wearing a mask. No restaurants, hotels, multiplexes, malls and markets were spared who did not ensue Covid Appropriate Behaviour and flout social distancing rules which brought tremendous difference on roads and markets.
Shrivastava strongly advised that why do citizens need strict actions? They should themselves care for their own health, understand the threat to their lives and that of others.
As Shrivastava believes and we quote, "I would say that it is not about enforcement whether in the pandemic or an incident but doing it with your heart is the key, also going by our motto “Dilkipolice”.
