Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Cow slaughter suspect Ikram Qureshi had been evading the police for nearly a month. But on Sunday, police received a tip from a resident about his location leading to his arrest by Nishatpura police.
This is one of nearly 100 instances in which information provided directly by citizens has helped police take action against criminals.
The strategy is part of police commissioner Sanjay Kumar's public outreach initiative, Jansamvad, conducted across Bhopal since February.
Kumar is implementing a public-participation model similar to the strategy he had used in Balaghat to strengthen the police network against Naxalism.
During Jansamvad meetings, Kumar has been directly interacting with residents across police station areas including Kolar, Misrod, Bagsewania, Govindpura, Aishbagh, Ashoka Garden, Kamla Nagar, TT Nagar and various parts of the Old City.
Residents have been sharing information about local crime and problems without having to depend solely on conventional complaint systems.
The response has now started giving results. Information received through numbers made available to citizens has led police to offenders involved in gambling, betting, illicit liquor trade, marijuana, drugs, knife attacks, illegal firearms as well as cow slaughter.
For receiving inputs, Bhopal police launched a dedicated toll-free helpline in April for confidential information about crime and criminals.
Citizens shared inputs through WhatsApp and their identity was kept confidential. The commissioner of police directly monitored the information to ensure accountability and prompt action.
We have received several inputs regarding different criminal activities from people and among them action has been taken in 100 of them after ground verification, police commissioner Sanjay Kumar said.
The helpline is specifically for crime-related information, while other grievances will continue to be handled through other channels.
The objective is to make citizens an active part of the policing system just as public intelligence played a crucial role in the anti-Naxal strategy in Balaghat, he added.
