Cites high crime detection rate and effective maintenance of law and order during major events
PANAJI
Amid turbulence within the force following a series of controversial law and order situations, Director General of Police Alok Kumar on Saturday said the Goa Police delivered a “commendable” performance, citing a high crime detection rate and effective handling of major events.
Speaking at the Goa Police Raising Day 2025 at Police Headquarters, the DGP praised the force for maintaining law and order during high-profile national and international events. His address, however, made no reference to the Shirgao Zatra stampede, in which six people were killed, or the fire at Birch by Romeo Lane that claimed 25 lives. The Birch incident raised serious questions with allegations that repeated violations were overlooked during the tenure of an IPS officer who has since been transferred.
“I want to compliment all police personnel and staff for having done a commendable job during major events such as the International Film Festival of India, International Purple Fest and the Feast of St Francis Xavier, all of which concluded peacefully,” Kumar said.
He also lauded the force for ensuring the security of VVIPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, foreign ministers, dignitaries and delegates, as well as protected persons from Goa and other states.
On crime and law and order, Kumar said the situation had remained under control, with an overall detection rate of 87.77 per cent, which he said reflected the force’s “hard work, dedication and professionalism”. The detection rate in the previous year stood at 96.67 per cent.
The DGP highlighted enforcement under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, stating that 157 cases were registered during the year, resulting in the arrest of 201 accused. About 236 kg of narcotics, valued at Rs 78 crore, were seized, which he stated is the highest-ever in terms of value by the Goa Police. “We are trying our level best to make a dent in the drug supply chain,” he said.
On traffic enforcement, Kumar said police booked 2,03,344 cases under the Motor Vehicles Act and collected fines amounting to Rs 14.71 crore as part of road safety measures. He said traffic police had carried out enforcement drives and awareness programmes in coordination with other departments, reaching 51,983 students and 41,001 drivers and riders.
As part of traffic reforms, a QR-based digital traffic clearance system — the ‘Quick Pass’ app — has been introduced, allowing motorists a 12-hour clearance to avoid repeated checks at multiple points. “This tool improves field-level coordination and significantly reduces public inconvenience during traffic checks,” he said.
Kumar also flagged cybercrime as a growing threat amid increasing digitalisation and e-commerce. “Cybercrime poses a major threat to the growing digitalization and e-commerce. Our cyber center has been further strengthened to deal with the growing menace of cybercrime,” he added.
The DGP said an AI-based investigative intelligence tool, ‘Deep Trace’, had been developed in-house by the Artificial Machine Learning Lab in collaboration with Samrit Bharat Technologies. The system helps officers trace identities using mobile numbers, UPI IDs, PAN details and vehicle registration data, aiding faster profiling in cyber and financial fraud cases.
He revealed that the Cyber Crime Centre was conducting awareness programmes across government departments, educational institutions, NGOs, industries, hotels and through social media, television, radio and street plays to educate citizens on cyber fraud. “We aim to reduce cyber fraud by making citizens aware of how such crimes take place,” Kumar said.
On personnel welfare, he said promotions, confirmations and Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS) benefits were granted during the year. As many as 415 police personnel of various ranks were promoted, while MACPS benefits were extended to 595 personnel. Promotions and confirmations were restored for seven personnel, and 10 posts of various ranks were filled.
The government, he said, also notified the creation of additional posts, including ASI Driver Grade I, Head Constable Driver Grade II, and senior scale officer (Superintendent of Police) in the Goa Police.
