V.N. Singh takes over as new police chief

Two hours later, he signed his last papers as police chief at the Delhi Police headquarters before handing over charge to Singh.

Addressing the gathering at Civil Lines, Kakkar said that he was satisfied with his stint, as several major cases including the serial bomb blasts in Capital had been solved.

8220;I thank my colleagues for their support and co-operation. And I will not not be wrong if I say that the Delhi Police is the best police force in the country,8221; said Kakkar.

Meeting newspersons later in the day said that his priority would be to instill 8220;a high degree of accountability and professionalism8221; among policemen.

8220;We also have to pay more attention to the morale and welfare of the force. Until and unless things are done in a lawful manner, we will not get the support of the public,8221; he said.

But Singh preferred diplomacy while answering questions about police-politician relations, which recently came to the fore after Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma8217;s frequent outbursts against Kakkar.Singh said: 8220;If the political masters say something, I will not like to join issue with them. They are in a superior position, they have the mandate of the people.8221;

His replies regarding a reshuffle in the police were equally measured. 8220;There will be no transfers because I have become the CP, but these are overdue in several cases. In other cases, transfers will take place on the basis of certain criteria like performance levels.8221;

8220;We will also conduct a systematic cadre review,8221; he said about the recent spurt in cases of aggrieved policemen seeking redressal from the Central Administrative Tribunal. 8220;There is a stagnation between the inspector and ACP levels, and we will look into it.8221;

But he offered no comments on whether Delhi Police should be under the state government saying that he would abide by the Home Ministry8217;s decision.Commenting on the city8217;s traffic-related problems in the Capital, Singh said that he had already asked the traffic police to pay special attention to school buses and ensure that traffic rules are strictly enforced.

8220;I am going to write to the Delhi government about chalking out a transport policy for the next five to seven years. I will also take up the issue of stronger punishment for those involved in accidents.8221;

Singh, however, disagreed with a suggestion that the intelligence network of the Delhi Police needed to revamped. He said: 8220;I don8217;t think that the police anywhere in the world is in a position to prevent all bomb blasts. Our intelligence department is doing a good job.8221;