‘We should be known as policemen, not as encounter specialists’

His began working in encounters in the 1980s, long before they were made ‘‘glamourous’’ by his batchmates, who are now facing probes under various allegations of the misuse of power.

Ask him the number of encounters he’s been in and he gives a guarded response: ‘‘Somewhere below forty. But, please, I am a policeman and that is what we should be known as, not as encounter specialists.’’

Pillai (45) is also in-charge of the elite squad, founded by former Additional Commissioner of Police Parambir Singh, to tackle crime in the city’s western suburbs.

His early training, he recalls, was under former Director General of Police, Arvind Inamdar. ‘‘In those days, encounters were the need of the hour,’’ he explains, ‘‘unlike now when they have become the solution. Gang war was at its peak then, with crime spilling out on to the streets.’’

Having reported directly to superiors like A Sivandhan, Sanjeev Dayal and A A Khan—when he was with the Anti-Terrorist Squad—and later to Arup Patnaik, Pillai recalls, ‘‘Even the Crime Branch at that time was reeling under the threat of the crime lords. Our brief was clear—to wipe out crime.’’

Attracted to the khaki for its ‘‘adventurous’’ tag, he is also an aviation enthusiast, has a student’s licence in flying and is familiar with power flying. ‘‘I had flown a solo flight,’’ he says.

Sports was another love. ‘‘Of the 170 awards, over 20 are for hockey and football,’’ says Pillai.

Speaking, however, of the image of the police force today, he says: ‘‘It’s down to zero.’’

In the recent McKenzie survey of the force, he had observed, that ‘‘the police force needs to do away with the internal power lobbies that work at different levels’’.

The police also need a morale boost, Pillai says adding that money is the main reason for recruits to approach the force.

When asked about the allegations of disproportionate assets held by a few encounter specialists, he says, ‘‘The antics of certain individuals should not decide the attitude of an entire force.

‘‘I have handled dreaded criminals at close quarters, but I still travel by my Bullet or by bus, when I have to run errands,’’ he says. ‘‘If a policeman is clean then no criminal can dare touch him. Then we wouldn’t need encounter specialists anymore, we’d need only policemen.’’