The Superintendent of Police, Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), BOSCO B GEORGE (IPS) has been recently transferred and posted to Arunachal Pradesh. The senior Goan police officer speaks to RAMNATH N PAI RAIKAR on various issues connected to law and order of the state.
Q: As you are preparing to leave for Arunachal Pradesh on your new posting, how do you look back at the security of Goa, especially since you have been its in-charge for quite sometime…
Goa, all said and done, is a very safe place in the country. We have competent officers, we have the equipments and we have the infrastructure; the only thing we require is to fine tune these things. And I think, whenever there is a challenge, Goa police have been able to meet it. I would say, we need a little more exposure, but that also happens… Who could have imagined that the BRICS summit in Goa, which was such a massive event, would be handled by the Goa Police in such a fine manner? But it happened. And then the people of Goa also rise up to the occasion. We however need to update our skills and I’m sure Goa will always remain a safe place.
Q: You are the Superintendent of Police, Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). Can you shed some light on the people of foreign origin illegally staying in Goa?
During the Corona pandemic, many of the foreigners in Goa left the state. These people were from certain countries. We have to look at such people as legal and illegal immigrants. The local police, the narcotics cell and the Foreigners Regional Registration Office have all coordinated well to detain those staying illegally in Goa. You would also be aware that in the performance of the detention centres, we have seen tremendous success – both in detaining illegal immigrants and in deporting them. In fact, our deportation exercise came to a standstill only because there are no direct flights to some of the countries involved in the deportation process. I feel, the starting of the detention centres has made a good impact and we need to expand on them in order to send back those staying illegally.
Q: Drugs and prostitution are two major problems presently hounding Goa. Do you feel that these problems have become more intense, during past few years due to the casino culture?
We have to accept that as we move on and open the economy for progress of the state, some bad things are bound to come in with the good ones. These are just the challenges that will keep coming, but to paint that they are due to a particular reason, is wrong. I think what we should be doing is see how we can meet these challenges. For that we need to upgrade the skills of the police, get the police better equipped and bring advanced technology into
play.
Q: You had a proposed to include the ‘Golden Chapter of Goa’s Liberation’ in the syllabus of the Police Training School (PTS). Please share some information about this proposal.
I was very keen that the candidates coming out of the Police Training School have at least some knowledge of Goa’s glorious past, as something is definitely missing somewhere. And then many of our freedom fighters went to become illustrious police officers, in the Liberated Goa… We did move such a proposal to the government and I think it is at the headquarters level. Actually what happened was that due to the Corona pandemic, there were no classes at the PTS, no new recruitments and everything had come to a standstill, as also I got transferred. However, I am sure my successor will take interest in it, and move the matter further.
Q: You have in the past worked as the investigative head of the Anti Corruption Branch. How much corruption do you feel exists in the government sector as well as private sector in Goa?
I will say that the society is becoming more and more materialistic and corruption is one of the evils of such a society, where people tend to lose their morals. So unless moralistic life starts at home and in school, it would be difficult to weed the corruption out of the system. What we need is a good disciplined life for every individual. Take an example, where children are sleeping at home at midnight or even after that! What kind of discipline can you have in such homes, and how can the parents accept such things? If a person cannot enforce discipline in his home, how can you expect the police to enforce it in the entire state? I, till my children passed SSC, did not buy a television set for the simple reason that if I had started watching programmes on it till late night, how could I have expected my children not to follow me. I am not saying all parents should take such a drastic step, but then some order needs to be there in a family, which is a part of the larger society.
Q: Are the acts of crime taking place in Goa increasing due to the arrival of more and more people in Goa with criminal background?
It is a fact that migrants entering Goa are to some extent found involved in crimes. But then there is a vacuum in the state as far as certain workforce requirement is concerned. Our people themselves are moving out of Goa and that vacuum has to be filled. As it is said, along with the good come the bad and the ugly. Yes, these are things that will happen, but we have to control them at the same time.
Q: How is the cyber crime scenario in Goa?
There is a larger need for educating the public as regards the issue of cyber crimes. The banks have been telling people not to share their passwords, but still they do the same mistakes of sharing it. They are letting down their guard repeatedly. We need to alert ourselves and prevent ourselves from doing things that the banks have been warning about. Cyber crime is definitely the next generation of crime and is going to take place, with the criminal even not knowing how his victim looks like, or who his victim is. What we require is precaution to safeguard ourselves from such crimes.
Q: How do you look at your future tenure in Arunachal Pradesh?
It is exciting. After leading a very comfortable life in Goa, it’s a new place, a new culture, a new language, and new people for me. Everything is going to be new for me. I have always looked forward to such things, as one has to be a student all his life and learn new things. As they say, it is a very beautiful state; it lacks the connectivity, but then all mountainous states are such. I’m sure, I will enjoy working with newer challenges before
me.
