New SSP Saket Kumar Singh at the state guest house in Ranchi on Sunday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, July 24: Saket Kumar Singh took over as senior superintendent of police of Ranchi this afternoon from his predecessor Praveen Kumar.

A product of the BSF Academy at Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh, the 2002 batch IPS officer had earlier served as sub-divisional police officer of Jamshedpur, Gumla and Chakradharpur, as additional superintendent of police at Simdega, and then superintendent of police at Garhwa, Ranchi (rural) and Bokaro.

Speaking to The Telegraph on his arrival at Ranchi this morning with wife Richa and seven-month-old daughter Bihu Kumari, Singh said he would make no changes in the team put in place by his predecessor. He also expressed his commitment towards the welfare of the families of those Maoists who surrendered.

“I am not going to touch the team in the district and everything will continue as before. There are good officers and bad officers everywhere, so there is little point in making changes. However, I expect co-operation from all. As far as handling Maoists is concerned, I will pay attention to those who have surrendered and take care of their families as I used to do in Bokaro,” he said.

Singh appeared confident of maintaining law and order in the state capital. When asked how he proposed to work in the capital where policing is different from districts, he drew parallels between Ranchi and Bokaro, adding his as Ranchi (rural) SP would also come in handy.

“Bokaro is politically active like Ranchi as our former chief minister and present deputy chief minister are residents of that district. As far as problem with rebels is concerned, Bokaro is also Naxalite affected,” he said.

Asked what his priority would be, Singh was emphatic. “Winning the confidence of people will be my priority as policing is difficult without it,” he said.

Quizzed how he intended going about winning that confidence, the new SSP said he would always respond to the legitimate demands of the people. “People do not expect zero crime but they definitely want the police to act promptly in the hour of need. I will ensure this and make efforts towards the same,” he said. n See Page 19

However, he refused to elaborate further, saying as the last time he worked in Ranchi was four years ago, he needed to first study the current situation before making any comment.

Earlier, speaking to The Telegraph in Bokaro, Singh had said both the capital and the steel hub faced similar problems. “Bokaro faces threats from Maoists and local criminals. Ranchi also deals with rebel issues in the rural belt while organised crimes take place time in the capital sometimes.