Punjab,Chandigarh police stations compete for international award

CHANDIGARH: The 65 police stations in Punjab and ten in Chandigarh have competed for award for excellence under an international project “Police station visitor’s week” simultaneously undertaken in 25 countries all over the world from October 29 to November 4.

The small teams of retired officials, academicians or other persons of repute were formed to assess the police stations’ public service. The visitors were  encouraged to use a ‘police stations visitor’s kit’, provided by Altus Global Alliance, an international organisation, in association with Institute for Development and Communication (IDC), Chandigarh.

According to a spokesman of IDC, a committee will validate the top police stations in each state. The police forces in Punjab, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Meghalya are the five participants from India. The police stations that are rated exceptionally high will be honoured with awards, and their success will be shared internationally.

Based on 20 parameters, the organizers will eventually zoom in on three best police stations from the participating nations. These parameters have been mentioned in the police stations visitors’ kit.

The heads of three best police stations selected would go to Malaysia or Sri Lanka for the regional round of the competition, with the winner subsequently going to Hague for the final contest.
 
Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Ghana, Hungary, Latvia, Liberia, Benin, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Niger, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States are some of the other participating countries. 

An official spokesman said that the police stations visitors’ kit is not only designed to detect problems, but also to identify good practices that come into their notice. The idea is that these good practices can serve as an example for other to follow.
 
Varinder Kumar, IPS of Punjab cadre presently posted as SSP Bathinda said that the police station visitors’ week was an opportunity for public to assess and become acquainted with service delivery in police stations.