‘STF needs to be finetuned with focus on enforcement’
CHANDIGARH: A day after taking charge as the director general of police (DGP), special task force (STF) against drugs, Mohd Mustafa told HT principal correspondent Ravinder Vasudeva that he aims to reach out to district police units and work in coordination with the intelligence wing and Punjab DGP office to break drug chains. Excerpts:
How serious is the drug problem in Punjab?
It is still very serious. It is not less than an epidemic. The good thing is that chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh is serious about eradicating this evil and has shown political commitment.
Some say the STF under your predecessor, ADGP Harpreet Sidhu, failed to catch big fish in the drug trade. Do you agree?
The STF did a tremendous job under Sidhu’s leadership. It not only focused on catching suppliers but also worked on rehabilitation. I’ve taken charge just a day back, it’s too early to comment on big fish in the trade.
The focus of the STF has been on awareness drives. Do you approve?
A shift in strategy is needed. The STF’s primary role should be enforcement not awareness campaigns, which is the duty of the health and public relations departments. The STF could be a part of these campaigns partially. Our focus should be on breaking drug chains.
The STF has been accused of becoming a power centre in the tussle within Punjab Police. There was hardly any communication with the DGP office. What is your take?
It’s unfortunate. I don’t want to go back to the past. No task force can function without coordination with the DGP office and intelligence network. We need to take the district police into confidence. When I was made STF chief, the first thing I did was to visit the Punjab DGP. I have worked under him in the past. He assured me of full support.
The STF accused the DGP office of not cooperating. Was it avoidable?
When you have ego and attitude issues, you unnecessarily draw lines and such problems surface. It’s good the STF is now independent like the intelligence wing. Punjab Police is a professional force and all work under one command that is the DGP office.
What’s your immediate aim?
I’ll be meeting district police officials. I’ll be visiting the districts and meeting station house officers. The STF should work at the macro level. There will be coordination among the STF, intelligence and the district police units. It’s a sustained task. I was told that when the drug problem hit political discourse, the number of FIRs and catches increased. A large number of addicts were caught as the STF and the police were under pressure to show they were cracking hard. A constant and coordinated approach is needed.
What about involvement of police officers in the drug trade? The case of inspector Inderjit Singh, caught by the STF, points towards senior officers.
The matter you are referring to is in the Punjab and Haryana high court. I don’t have anything to say on it. But if police personnel are found supporting peddlers, there’s no point sparing them.
Being a senior officer of Punjab Police, what’s your take on the rift within?
It’s most unfortunate. I’ve never seen this earlier. Whatever the reason, we should work in discipline.
It’s good the STF is now independent like the intelligence wing. Punjab Police is a professional force and all work under one command that is the DGP o MOHD MUSTAFA, STF chief