Officer-in-charge of a Station

43. Officer-in-charge of a police station.—

The officer in-charge of a police station is a Sub-Inspector. Within the limits of his charge he conducts the police administration and has authority over all branches of the force. He is responsible for the efficiency of his subordinates, for the proper performance of their duties and for the correctness of all registers, records, returns and reports prepared by them. He is responsible for the safe custody of all Government moneys and valuable property at the police station and for the correct maintenance of his account books. He must instruct them in their work, keep them under control and maintain discipline.

44. Abilities of Officer-in-charge of a police station.—

He must acquire a thorough local knowledge of his charge and become acquainted with all the principal people in it. He should treat village headman with courtesy, and try to secure their cordial assistance. He must be considerate to village chaukidars and encourage them to give him information. He must keep a strict watch on bad characters to prevent them from committing offences either within or without the limits of the station. He will communicate intelligence promptly to his superiors and to officer-in-charge of other police stations, using the telephone or telegraph, if available, and the U.P. Police Telegraphic Code, for the prompt dissemination of important information.

45. Confidential Note Book of Officer-in-charge.—

He must keep a confidential note-book in the prescribed form and record therein useful information which will not find a place in any official register, e.g., the names of persons who will give secret intelligence, confidential remarks about subordinates and others. He shall make this note-book over to his successor.

46. Duties of Officer-in-charge of a police station.—

He shall drill his subordinates to the extent prescribed by Paragraph 546.

He shall examine his constables periodically in their knowledge of their beats and duties as laid down in the "Guide for Training of Constables."

Once a week he shall make a thorough inspection of the kit of the police stationed at or near his headquarters including the tahsil guard, if any, and report any deficiencies. He shall periodically satisfy himself that all his subordinates, of every branch of the force, who cannot attend the weekly kit inspections, have all their proper uniform and equipment.

The fire-arms with their bayonets, pouches and stores and all other weapons at the police station, shall be in his personal charge. They shall be given out of store for specific duty only, and be returned to store when no longer required for immediate use.

He shall keep all his subordinates, including the rural police, acquainted with as much of the Police Gazette, Criminal Intelligence Gazette, and other information received at the station as concern them.

47. Power of S.O. to allow his subordinates to go off duty.—

He may allow his subordinates to. go off duty and leave the station house, when they can be spared, but if he allows any officer to be absent for the night he must record the reason in the general diary.

48. Miscellaneous Important duties of a Station-Officer-in-charge.—

During his presence at the station house he shall personally open the post and receive all orders, communications and reports sent or made there, he shall sign the general diary, arrange for the duties of the day, and give any directions that may be required; he shall inspect the Malkhana daily. He shall check the account books, compare them with relevant entries in the general diary and verify the cash balance, daily. Money transactions and entries made in his absence must be checked by him on his return and the result of the check must be noted in the cash-book.. When he deputes a subordinate officer to make an investigation under Section 157 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) he must see, before forwarding the report required by Section 173, that the investigation has been properly made.

49. Definition of Officer-in-charge.—

For the definition of the term "officer- in-charge of a police-station"—See Section 2 (o) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974). The local Government have empowered the senior literate constable present to hold charge of the station within the meaning of that section, when no officer above the rank of constable is present at the station house, but he may not make investigations.

The making and taking over charge of the station officer's duties shall be recorded in the general diary; the entry shall signed by both officers.

When the officer temporarily incharge of a station is a head constable, he should not exercise the powers of an officer-in-charge of a station under Section 157 of the Code of Criminal Procedure except in a case of extreme urgency.

50. Charge Certificate of Station Officer—

Whenever a permanent charge of station officer takes place, a formal charge certificate shall be submitted by the relieving officer to the Superintendent in Form No. 299.

A copy of the list of all Government property including arms and ammunition at the police station shall be attached to the certificate and the relieved officer must explain any deficiencies or damage that may have occurred during his tenure of office.

Subordinate Sub-Inspectors

51. Duties of the Second Officer.—

The Second Officer at a police station is a Sub-Inspector. His duties are—

(1) to assemble the morning parade;

(2) to tell off subordinates for duty according to the directions of the officer-in-charge, to give them instructions, and to see that their duties are properly performed;

(3) to report to the officer-in-charge, all defects or omission in the performance of duties by subordinates;

(4) to investigate cases made over to him by the officer-in-charge, and to report to him the result of his investigations;

(5) to drill the police attached to the station;

(6) to obey the orders of the officer-in-charge, and to see that these orders are obeyed by the subordinate police.

52. If no Second Officer is in police station, junior to the Second Officer to perform duties of Second Officer.—

There can be no Second Officer at a station where the officer-in-charge is the only Sub Inspector. Where there are more than two Sub-Inspectors those junior to the Second Officer will perform such duties, as are made over to them by the officer-in-charge.

53.  [Omitted]

54.  [Omitted]

Head Constable Station-writer

55. Duties of Head Constable-Station writer.—

The head constable station- writer is the office clerk, record-keeper and accountant of the police station. His duties are—

(1) to write up general diary and the first information reports of crime (see paragraphs 294 to 296 and 98, 99 and 102);

(2) to maintain the vernacular cash-book (Police Form No. 224) and other account books and to be responsible along with officer-in- charge of the police station, for the safe custody of all Government moneys and valuable property at the police station;

(3) to bring every morning to the notice of the officer-in-charge all orders pending execution;

(4) to record on their boards the attendance of village chaukidars when they make their periodical visits to the station and to make entries in their books when entries are required;

(5) to read aloud to constables notification in the Police Gazette and Criminal Intelligence Gazette and such other papers as the officer-in- charge may select;

(6) to compile returns,. acquittance rolls, and pay abstracts; prepare registers and do any other clerical work which may be assigned to him by the officer-in-charge;

(7) to keep all books and records;

(8) where there is no Second Officer, to perform the duties mentioned in paragraph 51, except (4);

(9) to hold inquests under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure if specially empowered by the Superintendent of Police to do so.

56. Literate police officer will give assistance to head constable-station writer.—

Other literate police officer attached to the station will give the station writer such assistance in the discharge of his duties as the officer-in-charge may direct.

57. Head constable as in-charge of the station^—

When a head constable is in-charge of the station {see paragraph 49) and has to make investigation under Section 157 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), he shall make over his clerical duties, and if he leaves the station, station-charge, to the next senior literate head constable or constable and carry on the investigation until he is relieved by a Sub-Inspector or the work is finished. On no other occasions may a head constable (other than an investigation head constable) make an investigation.

The making over and taking over charge of the station-writer's duties shall be recorded in the general diary the entry shall be signed by the relieved and relieving officers.

Head Constable in-charge of Outpost

58. Responsibility of Head Constable as-in-charge of Outpost.—

The head constable of an outpost is responsible for the orderly conduct and discipline of the constables under his charge. He shall inspect them at daybreak and at sunset every day; he shall tell them off for duty and see that they do their work properly. He shall be in constant communication with the officer-in-charge of the station, shall immediately report to him cognizable crimes and important occurrences, and shall make at intervals fixed by the Superintendent, periodical reports on the discipline of his subordinates and the performance of their duties. He may not make investigations but may hold inquests when specially empowered by the Superintendent of Police to do so.

59. Duties on Outposts.—

The sphere of action and the special duties of the • police of each outpost will be determined by the officer-in-charge of the station under the orders of superior authorities. The system of patrolling will be prescribed.

60.  [Omitted].

Constables

61. Constables of civil police.—

Constables of the civil Police will not be armed except on special occasions. Their principal duty is the prevention of crime.

They must be courteous and considerate to the public whose servants they are.

Every constable on duty, except when deputed on special detective work requring disguise, shall wear the prescribed uniform.

62. Duties of Sentry.—

There shall be a sentry for night and day at each police station, it shall be his duty to guard the prisoners in the lock-up, the treasure chest, and malkhana and all property in the station.

The Officer-in-charge will allot the sentry duty, distributing brass tokens, numbered consecutively, among the men told off. Sentry duty will be distributed twice a day in the morning and evening. The term of sentry duty will be three hours. Sentries must be posted and relieved by a sub-inspector or head constable during the day time and also at night unless there are no prisoners in the lock-up and no important case property and less than Rs. 500 in the malkhana. Whether sentries are posted and relieved by a superior officer or not, each sentry, on being relieved, will exchange token with the relieving sentry. Under this system the sentry on duty will always hold token No. 1, as this token will be given to the first sentry and passed on from sentry to sentry, on relief. The relieving sentry shall invariably examine the lock of the treasure chest and count the prisoners in the lock-up in the presence of the relieved sentry. The keys of the treasure chest and the lock-up shall be kept by the senior officer present in the station.

When it is necessary for an officer to post and relieve sentries at night, the evening report of distribution of duties must show which officer will do so.

When prisoners are to be admitted or removed from the lock-up the senior officer present will open it himself or have it opened in his presence.

The duties of each station should be allotted fairly every day, so that each man may have in turn his portion of night and day duty, and of hard and easy work.

63. Division of Police station circle into beats and duties of beat constables.—

Police station circles shall be divided into beats and one more constable appointed to each beat. A constable shall not be sent out unless charged with some specified duty, but when sent he should be instructed to make inquiries on his way about, persons under surveillance, absconded offenders, wandering tribes and passing events, on return to the station house he should make a report to the officer-in-charge.

Ordinarily a constable should not be away from his station house or outpost for more than three days and two nights consecutively, the officer who sends him out should fix the time of his absence subject to any extension required by unforeseen events.

64. District Police entitled to appear and to remain on Railway platforms.—

District police are entitled when on duty to appear and to remain on the platforms of railway stations. A station master has no power to order the removal of district police constable who may be on duty at his railway station. Every plain chothed constable of the district police sent on duty to railway station shall carry a written general order from the sub-inspector deputing him, and must produce it before the station master if required.