KATHMANDU, July 23

Nepal Police has adopted a new strategy to make the process of crime investigation more effective, dependable, lively and result-oriented.

As a part of the strategy, the Department of Crime Investigation will now retain ASIs and SIs (junior officers) and Inspectors and DSPs (senior officers) in crime investigation units across the country for a longer period of time. It has proposed that junior officers and senior officers having good experience and knowledge in crime investigation should not

be transferred to other stations for five years and three years respectively from the date of their installation. The new provision has come into force from the start of the running fiscal year, a high-level official at the NP Headquarters said.

Earlier, the NP used to transfer officials after they completed one to one-and-a-half-years in a unit. The official said crime investigation was found to have been affected due to transfer of police personnel from one unit to another in a short period of time. “A police officer, who is retained in a unit for a long period of time, knows the specific area up-close, geographically and socially, thereby facilitating him/her for prompt and result-oriented crime investigation,” he informed.

Out of its total strength of 67,287, NP has engaged as many as 4,691 personnel (6.96 per cent) in crime investigation. NP has total of 2,344 permanent and 507 temporary units spread all over the country. Of them, as many as 198, including Central Investigation Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, metropolitan police ranges (3), metropolitan police circles (18), district police offices (72), areas police offices (98) and ward police offices (5) carry out crime investigation.

NP has also decided to deploy crime investigators in a specific police unit depending on the nature and volume of crime it is handling.

According to NP, on an average, it handles 26,000 incidents of crime in a year across the country. Meanwhile, all crime investigation units of police have been told to engage their investigating officers in civvies so as to avoid detection or identification as law enforcement agents.