Uttar Pradesh DGP Rajeev Krishna Directs Police Officers to Keep Official Phones Active and Improve Public Response
By BK Singh
In response to persistent complaints that police personnel often fail to answer calls on their official numbers, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna has directed all field officers to keep their government-issued mobile phones switched on at all times and ensure that calls received on these numbers are promptly attended to.
The instructions were issued during a comprehensive crime review meeting held at the police headquarters in Lucknow.
The meeting was attended virtually by Additional Directors General (ADGs), Inspectors General (IGs), Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), police commissioners, Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs), Superintendents of Police (SPs), Additional SPs and Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) from across the state.
Highlighting the importance of public outreach, the DGP said that if an officer is unable to answer a call immediately, he or she should return the call at the earliest opportunity.
The directive applies to calls from public representatives, journalists and ordinary citizens alike. He underlined that effective communication and healthy public relations are essential for maintaining public trust in the police force.
The meeting also reviewed several important issues, including the effective use of E-Sakshya (electronic evidence), increased issuance of e-summons, disposal of cases under the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS), efforts to ensure speedy and quality investigations, action taken under the Yaksh App, interaction with public representatives and the media, and the implementation of the Zero Fatality District (ZFD) campaign, besides other law-and-order concerns.
Rajeev Krishna also emphasised that the complete implementation of the country’s new criminal laws must be achieved by January 2028.
Thereafter, electronic evidence under E-Sakshya will become mandatory alongside conventional forms of evidence.
He stressed the need to adequately train and motivate police personnel and investigating officers to collect sufficient, reliable and high-quality digital evidence.
The DGP further directed circle officers to thoroughly understand the monitoring dashboard and its technical aspects and ensure its effective implementation in police stations under their jurisdiction.
According to him, this would help improve the collection and management of electronic evidence continuously.
Officials informed the meeting that the overall use of e-summons in Uttar Pradesh has risen to 28 per cent.
Rajeev Krishna also instructed officers to review cases where offenders commit crimes outside their native districts.
In such cases, monitoring and verification carried out by the offender’s home district through the Yaksh App should also be scrutinised and accountability fixed wherever shortcomings are identified.
However, it remains to be seen whether police personnel will adhere to the latest directives.
Interestingly, a few months ago, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had issued similar instructions, but little appears to have changed on the ground.
In reality, most senior police officers rarely answer their official phones personally. More often than not, calls are attended by a Public Relations Officer (PRO), who typically responds, “Please tell me the matter; the officer is currently busy.” Even after an hour, the response frequently remains unchanged.
As a result, citizens often fail to speak directly to police commissioners, Additional Police Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) or even Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs).
Since the introduction of the commissionerate system in cities such as Prayagraj, where some believe there was no pressing need for such a structure, both police and administrative officers have increasingly become inaccessible to the public.
This growing disconnect has raised uncomfortable questions. Are these officers not public servants? Is it not their primary responsibility to respond to citizens, listen to their concerns and take appropriate action? A retired IAS officer observed that official responsiveness has steadily declined and that officers are becoming increasingly detached from the people they are meant to serve.
According to him, most senior officers do not carry or answer their official phones themselves. Instead, calls are handled by PROs or personal assistants.
It must also be remembered that these officials, whether in the police department or the civil administration, draw their salaries from taxpayers’ money.
Their duty is to resolve public grievances, not to create additional hurdles. When even senior journalists struggle to reach officers for a simple statement or clarification, ordinary citizens can only imagine the difficulties they face.
In many instances, reporters spend hours trying to contact officials for a brief comment.
As far as policing is concerned, there is a growing perception that some officers have begun viewing themselves as unquestionable authorities, particularly because the commissionerate system has vested them with magisterial powers.
On relatively minor issues, members of the public often find themselves penalised by officials who appear to derive a sense of importance from exercising these powers.
The retired officer warned that such an attitude needs to change. Otherwise, it could lead to increasing frustration and resentment among the public, sentiments that may eventually have political consequences for the ruling party, which is simultaneously trying to consolidate its support base.
“This cannot be described as good governance; it amounts to misgovernance,” the retired bureaucrat remarked. “And misgovernance, if allowed to continue, ultimately proves disastrous for those in power.”
Policemen in UP are, in fact, not using wisdom to deal with issues that would bring immediate relief to the junta, but they are misusing the power given to them, added a senior citizen.
