The straying of city police into the jurisdictional limits of Rachakonda Commissionerate is ‘demoralising’ the force of the latter, a senior official said.
The matter has escalated to such a degree that the police officers of Rachakonda have expressed their displeasure, saying that the Hyderabad police, especially the Commissioner’s Task Force sleuths, might as well probe all the cases registered in the Rachakonda police stations. For their part, Hyderabad city police offered the explanation that they were only ‘assisting’ their counterparts across the border-of-sorts.
Anything but low key
However, the Rachakonda police claimed that the so-called help can be given informally, rather than going to the public by holding press conferences and issuing releases.
“The functioning of police departments across the State is similar. But, we have something called jurisdiction. We too help the police teams of other districts and States in solving several cases and nabbing the accused who take shelter in our limits, but we never make it public,” a senior official said, requesting anonymity. The officer said that they are happy that Hyderabad police, out of their own interest, are supporting their investigations, as the ultimate goal is to prevent crime.
“But, their support should not end up demoralising our force. Even the ‘boss’ [Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M. Bhagwat] is not happy with their intervention,” he said.
Recently, the south zone task force team apprehended five people and solved a murder case registered in Pahadi Shareef police station of Rachakonda, which was announced by Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar in a press conference.
On May 13 too, the task force team issued a press release in connection with the apprehension of a youngster who brutally killed a seven-year-old boy before sexually assaulting him in an area covered by Balapur police station, which also falls under the limits of Rachakonda, the largest commissionerate in the country.
Started last December
“It all started in December last year when a string of chain-snatching offences were reported, and it is still continuing,” the officer said. The issue is likely to be brought to the notice of the top brass of Telangana police during an upcoming Coordination Committee meeting.
“Earlier too, we have discussed the trespassing of city police, in a Coordination Committee meeting chaired by Cyberabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar, but in vain. They are still acting in the same manner,” the top official said.
“We have to find a permanent solution to this issue. We share the border, but it doesn’t mean that they can intervene in all our cases. Even we have the capability to solve the cases and that has been proved,” he said, adding that they too have a Task Force-like Special Operation Team in Rachakonda, which has the credit of solving several sensational cases.
When contacted, a senior cop of Hyderabad police stated that commissionerates are divided only for administrative purposes, and maintained that there is only a healthy competition between them. “It is a part and parcel of our job. There is no question of demoralising our colleagues. We have our own methods of functioning,” the officer said.