Deccan Chronicle 30.07.2009
ISO cop stations not up to scratch
Chennai, July 29: Four years after the much-hyped ISO certification of 14 Chennai city police stations, what remains in the stations are the expired international standard certificates. It is visible that nobody in the station or their senior officers bothered to make sure that the stations were following the standard or to renew the certificate, which became outdated a year ago.
Members of the public who approach the ISO certified police stations expect to get quick action on their grievances. “But over the last four years ISO certified stations too became just like the other police stations,” disclosed another officer indicating that there was no use in trying to renew the certificate. Police personnel serving currently in those stations are not even aware of the standards to be followed to keep the international standard.
Stations like Adyar, Teynampet, St Thomas Mount, Vadapalani, Washermanpet, Madhavaram, Kothwalchavdi, Kodungaiyur, Anna Nagar, JJ Nagar, SRMC (Porur), Chintadripet and all women police stations in Adyar and Thousands Lights were given ISO 9000: 2001 certification along with city central crime branch and city police modern control room in June 2005.
Of these 14 stations, three now come under the Chennai suburban commissionarate.
Police personnel in these stations were expected to follow certain norms to keep themselves in the ISO league.
The idea behind converting the police stations into ISO certified ones was to make the them as people friendly as possible. “It was done mainly to make the police stations a point where people can walk in with grievances and walk out with ease. But it never happened that way,” confessed a senior police officer.
Interview rooms, suggestion boxes, 24-hour reception area and basic amenities in lock-up room were made mandatory for ISO certified police stations.
A senior police officer from city police administration, however, said that functioning of these police stations would be reviewed to take a decision on applying for renewal of ISO certification.
