Mumbai, May 1 : In a bid to purge corruption from its system, the Mumbai Police will soon start a dedicated anti-bribery helpline to receive complaints, that will be looked into by the police chief, from the affected people.
“The helpline to be known as ‘Citizens Grievance Mechanism' would be started within a week,” Deputy Police Commissioner (Operations) Rajkumar Vhatkar said.
Though a dedicated cell of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) already exists, the Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik has decided to start this citizen-friendly initiative that would specifically concentrate on eradicating corruption from the force.
“Two dedicated mobile numbers would be made available on city police's websites on which the citizens can send text messages if they come across any corrupt police official attached to Mumbai police department,” Vhatkar added. However, the DCP clarified that no calls would be received on these numbers.
The complaints will be personally looked into by the city police chief, who would ensure enquiry against the concerned officer for demanding bribe, Vhatkar said.
If the officer is found guilty, an appropriate action would be initiated against him/her. But if the complaint is found to be fake, the complainant will be prosecuted, the DCP said.
Another IPS officer added that Patnaik had not received any specific complaints about his men but wanted to make the system free from evil of corruption.
The initiative is a stern message the police chief wants to send across his colleagues that corruption will not be tolerated at any cost, the officer added. PTI
