Alok Mohan takes over as in-charge Karnataka DG&IGP from Praveen Sood

Minutes after taking over as in-charge head of the State police force, Alok Mohan on Monday said that his priority is to ensure every complaint at police stations are attended to and that he will have zero tolerance for policemen who fail to do so.

Mr. Mohan has been made in-charge Director-General and Inspector-General of Police (DG&IGP) of the State, after Praveen Sood vacated the post to become Director, Central Bureau of Investigation.

However, given that Mr. Mohan, a 1987-batch officer, is the seniormost in the State after Mr. Sood, he is likely to be appointed DG&IGP soon after the formalities are completed.

Addressing the media after taking charge, Mr. Mohan said that his priority will be maintaining law and order and zero tolerance for anyone who disturbs peace in society.

Alok Mohan, in-charge Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, with his predecessor Praveen Sood in Bengaluru on Monday. (Source: K. MURALI KUMAR)

Mr. Mohan reiterated that he is committed to providing a clean and good administration. “The State police is adjudged as one of the best in the country, and this was proved again with regard to the conduct of the Assembly elections with no untoward incidents. This has to be maintained and the zero-tolerance approach is also applicable to erring police officials,” he said.

Mr. Mohan also said the focus will be on criminal investigation, particularly detection of crimes against women and children, cyber crimes, and white-collar crimes.

He said the cyber crime investigation was not up to the mark and that apart from strengthening existing stations, more cyber crime police stations will be opened. The fight against drug abuse is also another area of concern, he added.

He also said that focus must be on traffic management rather than enforcement. “The traffic police should be more focused on traffic management and reduce vehicle checks. This aspect needs further fine-tuning,” he said.

He said that there was a need for police personnel to upgrade their technical skills and physical and mental endurance to meet challenges. “I am committed to rewarding good officers and punishing the bad ones,” he said, warning police personnel to strive hard to maintain standards.