Gaurav Tiwari, Superintendent of Police of Katni district, in Madhya Pradesh, is garnering praise for reaching out to the people by using a cycle to commute and meet people and also making his office and personal mobile number known to the public.
Tiwari leaves his house early in the morning and cycles for about 25 to 30 kilometres around his district.
A graduate of IIT Kanpur and a 2010 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Tiwari has served as Superintendent of Police in several other districts before Katni, including Maoist-affected Balaghat region.
Talking to IANS, Tiwari said using a cycle as his work horse has its own benefits. While on the one hand, it helps in building the trust of the public and encourages open dialogue, on the other it helps in keeping a check on police practices. It also helps him arrive at crime scenes stealthily in contrast to arriving in a car with a siren which warns people.
Katni district is known for its economic crimes, specially the sale of illegal liquor and illegal mining.
Tiwari has made both his office and personal mobile numbers known to the public which gives him a lot of information about occurrences around the district.
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Retired State General Director N.K. Tripathi says: "To keep crime in check, it is necessary to build a connect between the police and the public. Tiwari is trying to do this and thus should be praised. Police officers in Britain travel on foot."
Social worker Nandlal Singh, 67, says that he has not seen such a police officer in his life who travels on a cycle everyday to stop crime and to promote relations between the police and the public.
--IANS
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