Guidelines for supervisory officers to prevent undesirable activities by RPF staff

Guidelines for supervisory officers to prevent undesirable activities by RPF staff – Railway Board Security Circular No. 01/2021 dated 02.03.2021

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)

No. 2021/Sec(CCB)/45/64 Bad Work

Dated: 02/03/2021

To
Principal Chief Security Commissioners
All Zonal Railways, RPSF, Metro Rail/Kolkata & KRCL ,
All Production Units, RDSO
Director/JR RPF Academy, CORE, Const., LKO
Director/RPF TC, MLY & KGP

SECURITY CIRCULAR No. 01/2021

Sub: Guidelines for supervisory officers to prevent undesirable activities by RPF staff.

During the month of January 2021, RPF personnel were reported to have been involved in 7 cases of heinous crime such as loot, dacoity, rape and smuggling bringing disrepute to the force. Needless to say that, the supervisory officers must take proactive steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Some of the steps that can be taken are:

1. Supervisory officers especially Post and Outpost in charges must put in place a system to monitor the activities of the staff under their control both when they are on duty as well as off duty. They must identify the staff that are habituated to vices such as alcoholism, drug abuse, regularly borrowing money, gambling, visiting prostitutes or are having extra marital affairs. Some staff might have fallen in debt trap due to reasons beyond their control. There are chances of marital disputes, custody battles or land disputes turning ugly. Sometimes domestic issues snowball into crisis forcing the RPF staff to commit crime. The company one keeps also governs one’s behavior. Such RPF personnel may be identified and their activities and behavior must be closely monitored. Supervisors must also monitor personnel that appear to be living beyond their known sources of income. Any information about staff on the above points must be recorded in G-4 register and the concerned should be counselled regularly and the details of such counselling should also be recorded. A detailed confidential report must be sent to the Sr.DSC/DSC. Sr. DSCs/DSCs may also focus on regularly meeting the staff so identified and set up a system with procedure to keep track of such staff.
2. One to one close personal interaction with staff at post and outpost level should be done by in charges to gain File No.2021/Sec(CCB)45/64/Bad Work confidence of the staff. During their interaction with the staff they should try to find out if they are facing financial problems due to serious sickness of some family member, marriage in the family etc. as it may lead the staff to take to illegal means to fulfill their financial requirements. They must be counselled and be informed about the assistance they can get from various cooperative banks operated by railways employees and other scheduled banks.
3. During crime conferences DSCs/Sr.DSCs must make it a point to discuss about the activities of the staff and especially of the identified staff.
4. Critical incidents register must be updated on a regular basis and must be monitored at post and divisional level.
5. All officers during their interaction with the staff must emphasise on canons of sound financial management. Interactive sessions with experts on this matter may be arranged so that the staff becomes aware of importance of savings and sound investment.
6. Workshops on gender sensitisation must be conducted at post level to change the misogynist mindset of male staff
7. A check on the antecedents of the persons with whom the RPF personnel interacts frequently must be checked.
8. PCSCs may also monitor the activities of staff through local SIB units with special focus on suspected staff.
9. Entries of G-4 register and other antecedents of the staff should be confidentially communicated to the new place of posting when the staff is transferred.
10. In many cases the staff facing a family dispute/land dispute may find himself/herself in vulnerable position as he/she may be far away from his/her native place. If so, coordination with local administration of his native place may be done through the local RPF officers of the place. If left unsolved the problem may get aggravated and may result in the staff committing a heinous crime.
11. RPF staff may also get involved in political activity or could develop sharply defined political affiliations which may lead File No.2021/Sec(CCB)45/64/Bad Work to involvement in crime. Staff should be actively counselled to keep away from political canvassing or overtly supporting or participating in political activity.
12. Sometimes RPF personnel try to abuse legal authority and get involved in crime. They should be intensely briefed that legal authority should not be treated as power. It should be treated as responsibility which needs to be discharged for the overall good of the citizens, the Indian Railways and the nation.
13. Regular sessions need to be conducted to strengthen the moral fabric of the staff. They may be briefed regularly to avoid lure of easy money and shortcuts to riches.

All supervisory officers, Post/Out Post in charges, ASCs, DSCs/Sr. DSCs, CSCs and PCSC s must frequently interact with staff under them, give patient hearing to their problems and try to solve them wherever possible. The tell tale signs of delinquent behaviour must be identified and addressed before they reach the point of no return.

Sd/-
(ARUN KUMAR)
DG/RPF

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