Police Mentorship Initiative Rolled Out Across Jammu Kashmir, JKNC Leader Reacts | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: In a major reform initiative aimed at strengthening professionalism, accountability, and public engagement in policing, Jammu and Kashmir Police have designated 257 senior officers as mentors for police stations across the Union Territory.

The move comes a day after the administration appointed senior officers as mentors for all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir as part of a broader governance and institutional reform programme.

Under the new arrangement, officers from the ranks of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and Superintendent of Police (SP) have been assigned specific police stations to mentor. The initiative is intended to improve the functioning of police stations by promoting professional standards, enhancing community outreach and encouraging citizen-centric policing.

According to police officials, the mentor officers will support police stations in strengthening public trust, improving engagement with local communities and ensuring systematic maintenance of crime records and official documentation.

“The primary objective of these mentor police officers would be to instil greater professionalism within the police force. They will assist police stations in strengthening public outreach and fostering trust between police and the community,” a police officer was quoted as having said.

This initiative follows discussions at the recent conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police. It is part of the government’s broader police reform agenda aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Officials said the mentor officers have also been tasked with improving the physical infrastructure of police stations, including cleanliness, sanitation facilities and visitor reception areas. They will further guide police personnel in adopting digital platforms, technology-driven policing methods and emerging innovations aimed at improving service delivery.

A detailed charter defining the roles and responsibilities of mentor officers has been issued, with each officer assigned to a police station for an initial period of one year.

Police authorities have clarified that the mentors will not interfere in routine policing, investigations, operational matters, financial administration or day-to-day functioning of the police stations they oversee.

The initiative has, however, drawn criticism from some quarters. National Conference Additional General Secretary and former minister Ajay Kumar Sadhotra expressed concern over the decision, arguing that the appointment of senior officers as mentors for police stations could affect the morale of field officers and weaken the established command structure within the police department.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Sadhotra said policing functions effectively through a clearly defined chain of command, responsibility and accountability. He maintained that assigning 257 senior officers as mentors to police stations could create an additional layer of oversight and may be perceived as a lack of confidence in officers already discharging policing duties on the ground.

He said Station House Officers, Sub-Divisional Police Officers and district-level officers have been performing their responsibilities under challenging conditions and are accountable for maintaining law and order, preventing crime and ensuring public confidence.

While noting that the official order bars mentors from interfering in routine functioning, Sadhotra said the distinction between mentorship and supervision may become blurred in practice, potentially leading to confusion over authority and accountability.

He called for a review of the decision and urged the government to consult policing professionals and other stakeholders before implementing the mechanism. He also appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to reconsider the order, describing the mentorship model as impractical and likely to create ambiguity within the force.

The police mentorship initiative follows the government’s decision to appoint senior officers as district mentors for all districts of Jammu and Kashmir, with responsibilities that include monitoring the digitisation of revenue records and overseeing the implementation of key administrative reforms.