SP Santosh Singh, recipient of IACP award for policing: "Policing is not just a job but my passion and I use my passion to make difference from the grassroots"
In one of the most prestigious awards for policing and police leaders at the international platform, two of the Indian Police Services officers from the country received the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) ‘40 under 40’ award.
Superintendent of Police, Santosh Singh, from Chattisgarh Police recently received this prestigious award. Singh has been immensely appreciated for his achievement from Chattisgarh Government and Chattisgarh police department.
A bright young officer of the 2011 batch of the IPS, Santosh Singh is posted as SP Koriya district of Chattisgarh Police. He received the ICAP award for strengthening child friendly policing in Mahasamund district of Chattisgarh and remarkable works in Naxal areas of Bastar and during Covid in Raigarh.
Singh served in naxal affected Bastar region of Chattisgarh for four years. A believer of community policing and making a difference at the grassroots is Singh’s belief of good policing.
Speaking to the BW Policeworld, SP Santosh Singh said, “I was doing PhD in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) when I realized that more than my love for academics, my aim to serve the people would be fulfilled when I take up civil services. I decided to clear UPSC and got selected for IPS. When I was borne to Chattisgarh cadre, I decided that policing is not just a job for me but my passion and I will use my passion to do something for the people in the state. I believe in community policing that serves people right from the grassroots”.
As an additional SP (anti naxal operations) in Sukma, one of the hot beds of naxalism in the country, Singh started working for his motto.
He said, “As a young officer I started learning the psychology of the citizens in the naxal affected region. We used to keep witnessing IED blasts and naxal attacks. I have witnessed four naxal eliminations in front of my eyes. Chattisgarh Government has a surrender policy for the naxals which brings about an interaction with the naxal groups where we convince to surrender and when those negotiations fail, we carry out encounters. As a part that team, I involved myself in several such processes of surrendering, arrest and neutralization of the naxals”.
“I saw that when government builds roads, naxals used to bomb it off, when they built schools, naxals used to vandalize those. They were deterrent to any development to ensure the citizens of these areas live in poverty and they earn sympathies in return under the pretext of “working for citizens”. I understood that only a direct and regular interaction with the people is the way for policing here”.
Singh took up various initiatives to bring community policing in Bastar region and non naxal affected districts too. As a result of the joint effort of Singh who commanded the team with other officers and seniors supervising them, more than 1000 naxals had surrendered in that period.
Speaking about his initiative at Mahsamund district that fetched him an award, Singh said, “When I saw the adults were instilled with fear against police, I couldn’t imagine the fear children would have for us. I decided to bring ‘attitudnal change’ in policing. There were children who were facing abuse at home, terror outside, less education, girl children susceptible to sexual attacks and much more. We contacted the UNICEF and with their cooperation set up child friendly police stations. The police were trained and briefed to assist and aide all children”.
He added, “We appointed Bal Mitras from teachers and social workers who could speak with the children and becomes between kids and us. Once the children developed the trust, we began awareness programmes on sexual abuse, cybercrime, self-defence and traffic education. Both the genders were taught on ‘good touch and bad touch’. More than one lakh girls were given professional self-defence training by the police which was registered in the Golden Book of World Records".
Singh was awarded the ‘Champions of Change’ award for the self defence programme for girls by the Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. Singh’s constant efforts bore fruits in all the districts he served from Sukma, Kondagaon, Narayanpur (naxal affected zones), Mahsamund, Raigarh and presently Koriya.
Under Singh’s leadership as SP of Raigarh, the Raigarh district police thrice received the Chattisgarh Police’s “Indradhanush award” for good policing, a tough to win award and a fact known among the officers of Chattisgarh Police. The Raigarh police was given an award for their work during the pandemic. The Raigarh Police distributed around one lakh people in first wave and to forty thousands people in second wave of Covid to needy people with public supports through police help desks.
Singh again came up with a unique idea through his mask-promotion campaign namely, "Ek Rakshasuta Mask ka" ‘Raigarh Mask Programme’ which was very popular because of a rare and well thought of gesture on Raksha Bandhan day last year, when those tying rakhi to each other gifted masks as the festival gift. In one day, 12.37 lakhs of masks were gifted among the citizens. It created a world record in its unique category and registered by Asia Book of Records, India Book of Records and Golden Book of World Records etc.
When it comes to Chattisgarh, the citizens in the country associate naxalism to the state, however, the state is also known to host 14% of mines.
Presently, as SP Koriya, Singh initiated a programme named “Nijaat" meaning liberation. He said, “The population of workers and labourers is huge due to presence of mines in these districts. From young to old, the labourers are using drugs which are sneaked into the district through bordering inter-state districts forest areas.We decided to break the nexus and 250 drug peddlers have been so far arrested busting big syndicates operating in the district Chhattisgarh”.
Only a few know that Singh is a journalist’s son. His father is a senior journalist in Ghazipur district working with the Dainik Jagran Group. A lover of academics, he did his schooling in Navodaya School in Ghazipur. He then pursued his BA and MA from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) following which he moved to JNU for his MPhil in International Relations subject and Ph.D. Singh was doing a Ph.D in ‘UN Peace building nations’ from JNU which he is now pursuing from Durg University.
With his humble beginning from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, Singh believes that policing in Chattisgarh is more about people than naxals and other law & order issues.
