Poll security likely to hamper regular crime investigations

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Apr. 30: The regular crime investigation task of Nepal Police is likely to get affected following the deployment of over 62,000 forces during the local level elections to be held on May 13.

Nepal Police Headquarters has said that there will be just 10 per cent of the total manpower for the protection of their offices and units across the country while deploying the manpower for the security of the elections.

“Over 90 per cent forces will be in the field for the election security purpose,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and spokesperson for the Police Headquarters Bishnu Kumar KC, said.  

Under the local level election integrated security plan as endorsed by the Central Security Committee, 62,000 police personnel will be in the field, he said.  

SSP KC said that 215 police personnel working at the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Offices have been confirmed for their deployment. 

According to SSP Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, chief of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, there will be problems in the investigation of old files from just 10 per cent employees living in the office. 

Any new crime that may occur within this period should be addressed immediately and for this as well, we need manpower, said SSP Kunwar. 

According to the circulation of the Police Headquarters, there will be just 35 police personnel in the office security at the Valley Crime Investigation Office. Police spokesperson KC said that it has been decided to mobilise police personnel working on  the charge sheet filing section of the Office right on the election day only because of the manpower crunch.  

"We plan to continue the day-to-day work and day-to-day crime investigation despite limited manpower," said SSP KC.

Police in first layer of election security 

It has been decided to create a three-level security hedge in the local level election. Nepal Police will be mobilised in the first circle of election security, Armed Police Force in the second circle and Nepali Army in the third circle.

The Central Security Committee (CSC) has prepared criteria for the operation of which security organisation and has circulated it to all the four security agencies, including the National Investigation Department.

From the point of view of security sensitivity, the Nepali Army will provide external security. 

The reserve force of the Nepali Army will be mobilised in each district as per the decision of the District Security Committee.

Nepali Army spokesperson and Brigadier General Narayan Silwal said that 71,000 personnel of Nepali 

Army alone would be deployed for election security as soon as the President approved the mobilisation of the army. 

"In the local level election security plan, we have been assigned more than a dozen roles including security of ballot paper printing, transportation, prisons, airports and other important structures," Silwal said. 

Similarly, DIG and Spokesperson of APF Bidur Khadka said that 32,000 forces of APF will be in the field for election security. 

APF has been mandated to provide security of election booths, carrying ballot boxes after conduction of the election up to the vote counting centres, mobile and striking security, according to DIG Khadka.

It is also assigned  for giving security to public managing way to ensure environment for casting vote to their candidates, security of the chief election officers and election returning officers and district election offices, he said.