South SP helpless over security to places of worship
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, DEC 28
South Goa Superintendent of Police, Allan de Sa has said the police stations in the district would go empty if police personnel are deployed to man the places of worship.
Admitting that police stations in the district are facing acute manpower shortage, De Sa said his office has intimated the shortage to the police headquarters for necessary action.
The SP, South was reacting to allegations that the police have not been carrying out enough patrolling of the places of worship, especially the temples in the district, giving a free day for the burglary to make merry.
He told the BJP leaders that the police are trying to best to detect the Quittol temple burglary and other thefts that have taken place in the district in recent times. “Detection of one theft will help to achieve a breakthrough in all other theft cases”, he said.
Margao Sub-divisional Police Officer, DySP Umesh Gaonkar said that it is not possible to deploy police personnel at each and every places of worship.
“In my Margao police sub-division there are around 93 places of religious worship. Just imagine the number of personnel required to man the places of worship and also taken into account the deployment needed for law and order and other bandobast duties”, he added.
DySP Gaonkar sought the cooperation and assistance of the society to deal firmly with the theft cases.
“Law and order is the duty of the police. Society’s expectations are always more from the police as compared to other departments. The police are also human beings and undergo lot of stress in their duties”, he said, while making an appeal for public cooperation to check growing number of theft cases.
