In a bid to proactively combat crime and keep tabs on repeat offenders, the Pune police have decided to dust off and revamp their "criminal adoption scheme." This initiative, alongside other planned measures, aims to tighten surveillance on criminals and their movements, potentially reducing crime rates in the city.
At the core of the program lies the concept of assigning each police station "thane amaldar" (territorial beat officer) with the responsibility of "adopting" habitual offenders within their jurisdiction. By maintaining detailed records and close tabs on these individuals, the police hope to prevent them from re-offending. This scheme, brainchild of Zonal DCP Shashikant Borate, was first piloted in Zone 3 in January 2023 before being extended to Zone 4 later that year.
Criminals were located and assigned to the house officers of the corresponding police stations at Kothrud, Warje Malwadi, Uttamnagar, Duttwadi, Sinhagad Road, and Alankar police stations as the initial part of the plan. The identified offenders were summoned to their local police stations, where authorities were given their identity cards and informed about their whereabouts, the police sought details of the criminals if they were wanted or absconding in a particular crime. The police officers would visit the offenders' residences, talk to their relatives and neighbours, and record their visits in the crime registry. The police maintain 16 questions about the criminal, the most recent Google Map positioning of their homes, their most recent crime committed, family details, and other details maintained under the adoption scheme.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Amol Zende stated, “Since its introduction, the criminal adoption programme has had positive outcomes. The police station-level personnel will be monitoring the assigned offenders and regularly acquiring criminal intelligence on them after they are freed from jail, as they may commit other crimes. Additionally, a visit to their residences guarantees that their locations are constantly known. Additionally, it lets them know that they are being watched by the police. The plan is being implemented with the direction of the municipal police commissioner to protect the city from criminal activity.”