?Police should not bother about appeasing the ruling party. They should do what the law demands of them,? the chief minister said on Friday.

Addressing the force at Lalbazar on the 16th annual general meeting of the Calcutta Police Association, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said cops should not be guided by any consideration other than maintaining law and order.

?I often hear that police are worried about the political affiliation of criminals. What affiliation? There are reports of criminals getting special treatment at police stations. This cannot be tolerated,? the chief minister asserted.

Along with showering praise on the force for ?its commendable performance during major occasions,? the chief minister came down on the corruption in its ranks.

?The issue of corruption is really disturbing? What happens inside police stations at night? particularly, money changing hands? does affect the image of police,? was Bhattacharjee?s candid admission.

In the same breath, he urged the cops to shed their lathi-wielding image and present a more ?considerate face? before the masses.

He also appealed to officers at police stations not to discriminate against complainants on the basis of their social standing. ?The administration and the force are not just for the rich and the powerful. Those turning up from the lower rungs of society surely deserve a decent behaviour from the force.?

The chief minister called upon the officers-in-charge of all police stations to ?build bridges? with the public by taking into confidence prominent residents of the locality and speaking to them regularly.

About behaviour, he urged senior officers, particularly the IPS officers, not to be rude while speaking to subordinates. ?You are senior by virtue of your post. So, you don?t loose out if you just speak properly,? he said, amid thundering applause from the audience.

He went on: ?Let everybody realise that just because someone is a member of an association, he is not above the law. Police have a command system in place, and it runs from the top.?