The registration of only four cases in past two months puts a question mark on the very existence of Crime Branch police station that came into inception in August.
Earlier, only the select cases registered with 38 police stations of the district were handed over to the crime branch for investigation. Since, the crime branch did not have other engagements like maintaining law and order situation; they were able to investigate particular cases dedicatedly.Few months ago, the Police headquarters (PHQ) came out with an innovative idea of giving status of police station to the crime branch. With this decision, since August this year, the Crime Branch was given powers to register an FIR.
With only four registered cases till date crime branch police station finds it hard to explain that the reason behind lower number of FIR registered in the last three months.The complaints which would be recommended by DIG and senior police officers would be investigated and an FIR would be registered with the crime branch. The complainants can not approach directly to this police station.
DIG Srinivas Varma told The Pioneer that the crime branch might work like it was doing earlier. Being a police station, it has given powers to register an FIR, but that too on the recommendations of senior officials.Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Bhopal Shaildendra Singh Chouhan defending the less number of FIRs registered, said that crime branch police station is not established to register FIR for every crime but if the crime involves large number of victims and covers a huge area comprising 4-5 police stations it would be handled by crime branch police station.
Crime branch police station helps in investigation of cases related to property as the number of cases related to property has increased across the city. If the crime branch police station is going to register cases for every crime and every complainant it would be a mammoth task and would not fulfil the purpose of establishing the crime branch police station, he added.
Explaining the role of crime branch, the Addl SP said that quality investigation is required in several cases due to which the number of cases handled by the crime branch police station is less at the moment as investigation should be done properly.Police stations are free to refer the case to crime branch and there are instances where police stations are helped in several cases which require expertise and support in serious offences and prevalent across a big region of area of city.