The Police Department is gearing up for a slew of reforms with focus on transparency, accountability and corruption-free policing, DGP D. Gautam Sawang said after assuming office at the Police Headquarters at Mangalagiri on Saturday.

A 1986 batch IPS officer, Mr. Sawang, who is the Director-General, General Administration (Vigilance and Enforcement) Department at present, took full additional charge as the fifth DGP of the State after bifurcation.

“As the new government has set its focus on policing principles and standards and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has underlined the need for transformation in the way police engage at the ground level, we will work in a direction so that the commoners, vulnerable sections of society, women, children and senior citizens have confidence in the police,” Mr. Sawang told the media. Referring to building capacities and resources, he said the AP Police had a rich legacy of overcoming challenges. “We need training academies and in-house training facilities. People need performance and we will strive to achieve it,” he added.

Highlighting that crimes against women and children were continuing unabated and the State had been ranked third in the number of fatalities in road accidents, Mr. Sawang said, “We need to devise strategies for which detailed studies will be done and experts roped in to help reduce the loss of lives. There is an increase in consumption of drugs and we are studying the cases to tackle the issue.”

Weekly offs

The Chief Minister had already announced a day off per week to all the staff in the department.

“The government has promised that it will look into ways of implementing it as adjustment of staff will be a challenge,” he said. The DGP said that betting had emerged as a serious problem. “The existing laws are not stringent to curb the menace and a proper system will be in place soon to deal with the issue,” Mr. Sawang said.

‘No room for bias’

“Any bias while discharging duty or political influence will be dealt with an iron fist. The rule of law will prevail,” he added. Later in the day, he met Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy at his camp office.