The unit is supposed to have 14 personnel, including four inspectors, four sub-inspectors and six police personnel of lower ranks but all it has now is the lone inspector and four subordinates.

A senior police officer, while addressing a gathering at an event in the city recently, elaborated on different initiatives by the department to address children related cases, however, inquiries at the ground level revealed that the unit is almost dysfunctional due to lack of strength and facilities.

 

Though the High Court had ordered formation of anti-child trafficking units in all districts in 2016, Chennai got one only last September after AK Viswanathan took charge as the Commissioner of Greater Chennai Police. It has been a year and a half since its formation and the unit’s is yet to see any improvement, said official sources.

“On paper, the unit was formed in May 2016, fearing contempt of court, but in reality, it came into existence only a year ago. While the unit is supposed to have 14 personnel including four inspectors, four sub-inspectors and six other police personnel, it currently has one inspector and a few subordinates,” said an official.

“Though three inspectors were initially posted in the unit, two women inspectors requested for duty in the DGP office and never worked in the anti-child trafficking unit,” confirmed a source. Making conditions worse is the fact that the unit does not have an office for itself and the personnel are forced to 

work from the lobby of the Commissioner’s office. It does not even have any vehicle assigned to it, an official said.

While anti-child trafficking unit is supposed to handle cases which could not be cracked by the local police, lack of facilities lead to a pile up of cases. Although the unit is handling three cases based on an order by the Madras High Court, there are about 400 pending cases of missing children at stations across the city, which will eventually end up at the special unit, said an official representing the unit.

When contacted, Additional Deputy Commissioner Megalina Iden (Central Prohibition Investigative Unit) admitted that the child-trafficking unit has a severe shortage of hands. She said that a proposal to increase the unit’s strength has been sent to the higher officials and added that unit would be expanded gradually. “An office space for the unit has been allotted at the Old Commissioner’s office, but they couldn’t shift since the renovation work there is under way,” said the official.