In view of vast forest cover in Odisha, police officers and personnel from various parts of the state are now being sensitised various wildlife laws to be able to probe related crimes effectively.
With this objective, police officers from various districts attended a training-cum-workshop on "Strengthening Wildlife Law Enforcement and Conservation" organised by the state crime branch police and New Delhi-based Traffic India that monitors and investigates wildlife trade.
Inaugurating the workshop here yesterday, Odisha DGP Sanjiv Marik said the aim of the workshop was to sensitise the state police about the wildlife laws in the country and how to investigate and prosecute the wildlife crimes so as to reach a logical conclusion of convicting the offenders.
Police officers of at least 55 police stations located close to reserve forests, parks and sanctuaries in the state attended the workshop in which resource persons drawn from outside the state imparted training on various aspects of the subject like provisions of Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, finer points of investigations into wildlife crimes, and wildlife forensic.
"Since Odisha is rich in flora and fauna, protecting forests and wildlife is a challenging task. Police can play a vital role in dealing with wildlife crimes. The workshop sensitised our officers in handling these crimes like they are dealing in other crimes", said the DGP.
