Metro police may get more teeth Quasi-judicial and magisterial rights proposed
SUNDAR KHANAL
KATHMANDU, July 20: The government is working out a plan to give more teeth to the police to maintain law and order in Kathmandu Valley. It has initiated ground work to grant quasi-judicial and magisterial rights to metropolitan police.
Based on a recent report of Administration Restructuring Commission (ARC), the government is working to materialize its nearly three-year-old concept of strengthening the metropolitan police with rights to deal with security affairs as well as prosecution to a certain extent.
Once the recommendations are brought into implementation, metropolitan police will exercise quasi-judicial and magisterial rights currently enjoyed by Chief District Officers (CDOs) and it will function as an autonomous body led a commissioner.
Established on January 6, 2007, Kathmandu Metropolitan Police has been functioning only as a coordinating body of the police units in three districts of the Valley.
Police officials believe that the government seems to have realized the rationale behind the formation of metropolitan police amidst immense pressure to maintain security in the face of growing populace and increasing urban activities.
According to the commission´s report, metropolitan police will help ensure swift and effective justice delivery, lessen regular workload of local administration and maintain uniformity in chain of command. Metropolitan police is also expected to cope with the security challenges brought about by growing urbanization, discourage political interferences, strengthen crime investigation and boost the image of the capital city in the international arena.
Earlier last year, the government had sent a high-level team comprising senior police officials to study the functioning of metropolitan policing system in several Indian cities including New Delhi and Mumbai.
Among others, metropolitan police will possess magisterial rights like permitting or banning demonstrations, clamping curfew and arresting anyone posing threat to law and order situation.
As a preemptive measure to check crime, metropolitan police will be authorized to arrest persons without warrant before any untoward activity takes place. It could also restrict the mobility of persons posing threats to security. As an authoritative body to regulate the city affairs, it will also issue ownership licenses for weapons, entertainment businesses and other sensitive transactions like drugs.
The commission has recommended the government to formulate and also amend existing laws to provide the body with these rights. The commission has recommended keeping the body under the police headquarters until the federal system is in place. A special cell to be made under Home Ministry will control the body in coordination with the police headquarters.
According to the commission report, metropolitan police will be autonomous with its own hierarchy, facilities and career building, and a separate Police Service Commission to ensure career prospect of all personnel serving under metropolitan police.
Coverage, strength and efficiency
The commission has pointed out that the existing number of security personnel deployed in Kathmandu Valley is way less than the strength needed to meet the normal international standards. Some 8,000 personnel are entrusted to look after about 3 million people living in Kathmandu Valley. The commission has recommended the government to recruit an additional 7,000 police personnel. It has also recommended that metropolitan police body use at least 10 percent of the total human resource into investigation.
Similarly, the commission has recommended doubling the strength of traffic police so as to bring down the ratio of traffic police to vehicles ratio to 1:200 and traffic police to distance coverage to 1:700 meter.
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Metro Police May Get More Teeth Quasi-judicial And Magisterial Rights Proposed
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