Guwahati, Dec. 31: The first police commissioner of Guwahati, who will take charge tomorrow, will derive magisterial powers from 16 different acts.
Under the police commissionerate, which will come into effect here from tomorrow, all police officers under the police commissioner not below the rank of assistant commissioner of police (ACP), will have powers of executive magistrates.
The Tarun Gogoi government decided to introduce the new system of policing in the state capital to make the force more effective in dealing with crimes and maintaining law and order.
According to an official notification issued by the state home department yesterday, magisterial powers will be conferred on the police commissioner under 16 acts, including the Sarai Act, 1867, which regulates the hotel business; the Dramatic Performance Act, 1876, the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, the Explosives Act, 1984, and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.
The other legislations from which the police commissioner will derive powers, which were earlier vested with the district magistrate, are the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958, the Assam Prisons Act, 2013, the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920, the Official Secrets Act, 1923, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Arms Act, 1959, Prevention of Seditious Meeting Act, 1911, Foreigners Act, 1946, National Security Act, 1980, the Game and Betting Act, 1970, and the Assam Loud Speakers (Control) Act, 1960.
This notification will come into force in Kamrup (metro) district tomorrow.
The notification states the police commissioner shall be appointed from amongst officers who are of the rank of inspector-general of police (IGP) or above, and the police commissioner will discharge his functions or exercise all his powers under the general control and supervision of the director-general of police.
The state government has appointed additional director-general of police Jyotirmoy Chakravarty as the first police commissioner of Guwahati.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi will inaugurate the police commissionerate at Guwahati police reserve tomorrow. The government has announced the names of one joint commissioner, seven deputy commissioners of police, 10 additional deputy commissioners of police and 20 assistant commissioners of police yesterday.
Under the new system, the Guwahati metropolitan area has been divided into three police districts -Guwahati East, Guwahati Central and Guwahati West. Each district will be headed by a DCP.
There will be three ACPs in Guwahati East, four ACPs in Guwahati Central and two ACPs in Guwahati West.
In Guwahati East, the three ACPs will be stationed at Sonapur, Basistha and Dispur police stations while in Guwahati Central, the four ACPs will be stationed at Panbazar, Chandmari, Noonmati and the all-women police stations.
In Guwahati West, the two ACPs will be based at Azara and Jalukbari police stations.
