Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar on Thursday said that any investigation, irrespective of the complainant or the accused, would follow the course of law.
Phansalkar made the statement during his first press interaction at the Mumbai Police headquarters shortly after taking charge of his post from his predecessor, Sanjay Pandey. The newly appointed top cop was answering a query regarding investigation of recent cases registered against members of the Bharatiya Janata Party and other detractors of the now dissolved Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
Phansalkar also spoke about his priorities as the Mumbai Police chief and the challenges that come with policing a city like Mumbai.
“The priority for any police force is always the same; the maintain law and order and to detect and prevent crimes. Challenges in this are many in a city like Mumbai, because the population is dense and the city has been a target of terror attacks. Besides, traffic is also a major concern. But we have a capable and experienced police force and we will ensure the best policing and law and order for our citizens,” he said.
The top cop added that looking into the issues faced by police personnel would also be on his list of priorities.
“The personnel at the backbone and the glory of any police force. Whatever issues they face, we will do our best to resolve all of them,” he said.
Other subjects discussed during the press interaction included safety of women and senior citizens as well as cyber crimes, all of which Phansalkar said were being taken with the utmost seriousness. Traffic has been a major point of focus for the Mumbai Police in recent times and Phansalkar, who has earlier served as the Mumbai Traffic Police chief, echoed this sentiment.
“Whatever happens, traffic should keep moving. People should be able to get from Point A to Point B as fast as they can. It is that simple,” Phansalkar said.
On being asked whether the Sunday Streets initiative, a brainchild of Pandey, would continue, Phansalkar said, “We will take care to not interrupt the happiness of our citizens but at the same time will also ensure that we do not end up putting undue stress on our personnel. Whatever can be done in the best way will be done.”
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