Bhubaneswar, 21 August (H.S.): Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Vinaytosh Mishra on Friday chaired a high-level meeting at the State Police Headquarters to review the state’s law and order situation, crime control measures, policing and preparedness ahead of the upcoming festive season.

All Range IGs/DIGs and district Superintendents of Police (SPs) joined the meeting through video conferencing. Discussions focused on the prevailing law and order situation, crime prevention, identification of sensitive areas, investigation of major crimes, public service delivery and administrative matters.

Addressing senior police officers, DGP Mishra directed personnel to ensure that every complainant visiting a police station is heard patiently and treated with respect. He stressed the need for impartial and speedy investigation of cases and instructed police personnel to maintain regular attendance at their offices to improve efficiency. SDPOs were also directed to regularly visit subordinate police stations and supervise their functioning.

With a series of major festivals scheduled between August and November—including Janmashtami, Ganesh Puja, Nuakhai, Vishwakarma Puja, Durga Puja, Gajalaxmi Puja, Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, Deepavali/Kali Puja, Anla Navami, Panchuka and Bali Yatra—the DGP directed officers to make advance security arrangements.

He called for adequate deployment of police personnel at sensitive locations, effective crowd and traffic management, regular peace committee meetings and close coordination with local representatives and community groups. Officers were also asked to closely monitor communally sensitive areas and take preventive measures to avert any untoward incident.

On crime control, Mishra directed strict legal action against habitual and organised criminals. He ordered intensified checking and patrolling to curb illegal cattle transportation and smuggling, along with regular raids against illegal mineral extraction and transportation. Prompt action against traffic violations was also emphasised.

The DGP further directed police officials to closely monitor rumours and inflammatory, offensive or misleading content on social media and initiate prompt legal action against those found spreading such material. He stressed the need to strengthen criminal intelligence gathering to obtain early inputs about potential crimes and threats.

Reviewing cybercrime preparedness, Mishra directed officials to further strengthen cyber police stations and improve the quality and effectiveness of cybercrime investigations. District SPs were asked to visit cyber police stations at least once a week to review their functioning and progress of cases.

He also directed all district SPs to organise peace committee meetings regularly and take steps to strengthen police-public relations at the grassroots level.

Additional DGPs Soumendra Priyadarshi, Sanjay Kumar, Prateek Mohanty and Jatindra Koel, IGP S. Praveen Kumar, DIGs Kanwar Vishal Singh, Charan Singh Meena and Kishore Kumar Banoth, along with all Range IGs/DIGs and district SPs, attended the meeting.

Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda