Guide to filing a police complaint……Team Midday
Dial 100 for help or stop a cop if in distress. As the crime graph climbs in the city, the police are opening up new avenues for people to seek help
Dial 100 for help or stop a cop if in distress. As the crime graph climbs in the city, the police are opening up new avenues for people to seek help
Grouse? Use mouse
With the world accessible at the click of a button, the winds of the cyber revolution are blowing strong through the corridors of power. The Mumbai police is all set to ease the avenue for complaints and Mumbaikars will soon be able lodge a First Information Report (FIR) by just an e-mail complaint. The state had initially planned to levy a fee of Rs 10, however as per the latest plan the complainant need not pay any fee for registering an FIR.
With the world accessible at the click of a button, the winds of the cyber revolution are blowing strong through the corridors of power. The Mumbai police is all set to ease the avenue for complaints and Mumbaikars will soon be able lodge a First Information Report (FIR) by just an e-mail complaint. The state had initially planned to levy a fee of Rs 10, however as per the latest plan the complainant need not pay any fee for registering an FIR.
All that the complainant has to do is to log on to the Maharashtra State Police online e-complaint
registration at http://gms.maharashtra.gov.in/CMS/ and select the district and police station from the drop-down list and then lodge the complaint. According to the Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bhagwe, in the pilot project the state plans to make e-mail complaint facility initially operational in the Bandra-Kurla Police station in a month or so.
registration at http://gms.maharashtra.gov.in/CMS/ and select the district and police station from the drop-down list and then lodge the complaint. According to the Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bhagwe, in the pilot project the state plans to make e-mail complaint facility initially operational in the Bandra-Kurla Police station in a month or so.
According to officials, e-mail complaints will ensure free and fair lodging of complaints and save time for people who go to the police station for the same. Complainants will have to just provide their mobile numbers and e-mail IDs and the reference would be a mobile number. The system will also send a verification code via SMS to the mobile number, which needs to be filled in by the complainant for authenticating the complaint. The verification code also helps the complainant track his complaint online.
Citizens to e-mail their complaints to the police, citizens can log on to the Maharashtra State Police online E-Complaint Registration Web site. Besides, the system would also be enable police officers to track complaints.
According to state IT Principal Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, the chances of people filing false complaints will be less as the cell phone number could be traced, besides the police gets in touch with the complainant immediately after the FIR is lodged.
According to state IT Principal Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, the chances of people filing false complaints will be less as the cell phone number could be traced, besides the police gets in touch with the complainant immediately after the FIR is lodged.
More importantly, all types of complaints including cognizable and non-cognizable can be lodged through the e-complaint FIR system.
At the click of a button
On-Site help: For the tech savvy, the Mumbai police has a website, http://mumbaipolice.org/contact.htm where citizens are allowed to file complaints.
On-Site help: For the tech savvy, the Mumbai police has a website, http://mumbaipolice.org/contact.htm where citizens are allowed to file complaints.
Yet, those who are quick to click the button, hold your horses – or that keyboard.
The site also has a disclaimer that says: as per the prevailing laws, FIR of a major crime (‘cognizable crimes’ like theft, burglary, motor vehicle theft, accident, chain-snatching, assault, rape, murder, attempt to commit murder, robbery, dacoity, extortion etc) can only be registered at a police station.
This site shall only entertain complains about minor crimes (‘non-cognizable crimes’).
Your complaint shall be referred to the concerned police station, where you may be called for further clarifications and/or to give statement.
What are cognizable and non-cognizable offences?
Crime can be cognizable or non-cognizable. The difference between a cognizable and a non-cognizable offence is that in a non-cognizable offence the Police cannot arrest a person without orders of the court, i.e. without a court warrant and can investigate into the case only on the express directions of the court to that effect.
Crime can be cognizable or non-cognizable. The difference between a cognizable and a non-cognizable offence is that in a non-cognizable offence the Police cannot arrest a person without orders of the court, i.e. without a court warrant and can investigate into the case only on the express directions of the court to that effect.
Therefore, the experience is that in a non-cognizable offence the police station officer records the complaint as a non-cognizable offense, commonly referred as an N.C., and advises the complaint or victim to approach the court for further directions. In a cognizable offense, the police can take cognizance of the offense on its own i.e. it need not wait for the court orders as the law envisages that in such offences permission of the court to the police to investigate the crime is implicit.
Senior scene
India, known for its traditional veneration of seniors is now reeling under the onslaught of what is known as silver crime, which means targetting older citizens, usually for robbery. In many cases, the assailant kills his victim. Changing lifestyles, urban trends where children fly the coop and parents live alone, besides fraying values are just some reasons for the spurt in attacks against seniors.
India, known for its traditional veneration of seniors is now reeling under the onslaught of what is known as silver crime, which means targetting older citizens, usually for robbery. In many cases, the assailant kills his victim. Changing lifestyles, urban trends where children fly the coop and parents live alone, besides fraying values are just some reasons for the spurt in attacks against seniors.
On Wednesday, a widow in her late ’50s (though that would not really put her in the seniors category) was murdered in Mulund. It was a brutal attack, with 35 stab wounds. Her nephew is a suspect. Robbery is suspected as motive. The murder is typical of a pattern. A widow, usually alone at home, lets in a trusted relative or stranger and falls victim to a gruesome crime.
The police have recognized this and are urging seniors to call something called ElderLine on 1090.
When can senior citizens call ElderLine?
>>When they require urgent medical help.
>>When they face situations that involve physical violence or pose a risk to their lives.
>>Senior citizens may directly call 1090 to register themselves.
>>When they require urgent medical help.
>>When they face situations that involve physical violence or pose a risk to their lives.
>>Senior citizens may directly call 1090 to register themselves.
Safety tips
So pervasive have these crimes become that the police has some advice for senior citizens to take precautions.
Though aimed at seniors, many of these tips are generic in nature and can apply to other demographic groups as well.
>>Persons known to the victims — servant, watchmen or others, commit majority of offences.
>>These criminals are generally not on police record.
>>Despite requesting them to do so, old persons are wary of going to police stations in their jurisdiction to give detailed records of themselves, if they stay alone.
>>People are reluctant to register their domestic help’s details with the police station.
>>There are other common sense tips which we all tend to forget, in the hurly-burly of daily living like: when admitting a workman or salesman at home do not leave him alone, and verifying the identity of repairmen who visit the house.
So pervasive have these crimes become that the police has some advice for senior citizens to take precautions.
Though aimed at seniors, many of these tips are generic in nature and can apply to other demographic groups as well.
>>Persons known to the victims — servant, watchmen or others, commit majority of offences.
>>These criminals are generally not on police record.
>>Despite requesting them to do so, old persons are wary of going to police stations in their jurisdiction to give detailed records of themselves, if they stay alone.
>>People are reluctant to register their domestic help’s details with the police station.
>>There are other common sense tips which we all tend to forget, in the hurly-burly of daily living like: when admitting a workman or salesman at home do not leave him alone, and verifying the identity of repairmen who visit the house.
Dial D for distress
One needs to dial 100 for the police. The police state that they have 25 lines for the telephone number 100. There are a host of other numbers, which can be accessed but 100 is the easiest to remember. In any case, as a citizen, you have a right to stop a policeman on foot patrol, on a mo’bike or a vehicle, in case in danger and need of help.
One needs to dial 100 for the police. The police state that they have 25 lines for the telephone number 100. There are a host of other numbers, which can be accessed but 100 is the easiest to remember. In any case, as a citizen, you have a right to stop a policeman on foot patrol, on a mo’bike or a vehicle, in case in danger and need of help.