India and the United Nations have taken another step to strengthen police countermeasures against
human trafficking by establishing a network of nodal officers from across the country. Inaugurating a two-day conference for State Nodal Police Officers in charge of Anti Human Trafficking in the Women Cell and CID (Crime), Dr. Kiran Bedi, Head of BPR&D, expressed satisfaction that this initiative will serve as a model for good policing. The conference was organized by NICFS (National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science) Delhi, in collaboration with UNODC.
Dr. Kiran Bedi, Head of Bureau of Police Research & Development
The NICFS conference represents one facet of a multi-pronged strategy to combat human trafficking being implemented in India by UNODC. Experts in anti human trafficking sensitized police officers on various dimensions of human trafficking. The conference covered all aspects of human trafficking, ranging from knowledge, attitudes and skills to psycho social issues and trends.
Mr. Gary Lewis, Representative of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, for the Region of South Asia, indicated that trafficking is in most cases an interstate crime. As a result, there needs to be a strong level of coordination among law enforcement agencies in the source, transit and destination states of India.
Mr. Gary Lewis, Representative, UNODC
Dr. P. M. Nair, Project Coordinator, Project S 16, UNODC
An important outcome of this conference was the idea of a National Police Network. Dr. P.M. Nair, Project Coordinator,
Project IND S/16, UNODC described the rationale for a national network in preventing and combating the organized crime of trafficking which, he said, has no boundaries. He underscored the role of police managers and leaders in ensuring a Human Rights paradigm in law enforcement. He also stressed the need to develop a database of offenders, to disseminate intelligence and evidence in a timely manner across state agencies as well as in setting up of Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in the states and districts by involving all the stakeholders including NGOs.
The conference is part of a project for police training and capacity building undertaken by the UNODC in partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and financially supported by the United States Government to the tune of US$2.5 million. The programme addresses the issues of human trafficking from a human rights perspective. Its aims are fourfold: empowering police officers and prosecutors in the project states, strengthening/setting up AHTUs, developing Standard Operating Procedures/Protocols on AHT, and improving law enforcement and civil society liaison. So far, 5 states - Goa, Maharshtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar - are covered under the two-year project, which commenced in April 2006.
From left to right (Standing): • Ms. S. Sanyal - DIG, Lucknow (UP)
• Mr. Varghese John - Admn. & Finance Assistant Project IND S/16 UNODC
• Mr. Sanjay Sahay - DIGP, COD, Bangalore (Karnataka)
• Mr. B. K. Sharma - IGP, CID, CB, Cuttack (Orissa)
• Mr. K.S. Jangpangi - Addl. DGP, Crime, Trivandrum (Kerela)
• Mr. Yashvant Malhotra - Addl. DG, CID, Patna (Bihar)
• Mr. Dilip Kr. Borah - IGP, CID, Guwahati (Assam)
• Mr. Sanjoy Mukherjee - DIGP (Spl.), CID, Kolkata (West Bengal)
• Mr. B.K. Rana - DIGP, CID, Shillong (Meghalaya)
• Mr. T.L. Meena - IGP, CID, CB, Jaipur (Rajasthan)
• Ms. Vithika Yadav - Consultant, Anti Human Trafficking, Project IND S/16 UNODC
• Mr. Ashok Chand - SP, ACU & CID, Port Blair (A & N Islands)
From left to right (Sitting): • Dr. Sanyal, Retd . Professor, Worshop Director, NICFS
• Mr. B.K. Sharma DIGP, Workshop Coordinator, NICFS
• Mr. Gary Lewis, Representative, UNODC ROSA
• Dr. Kiran Bedi, Director General, BPR&D, MHA, Delhi
• Mr. D.M. Mitra, Director, LNJN NICFS, MHA, Delhi
• Dr. P.M.Nair, Project Coordinator, IND S/16, Anti Human Trafficking, UNODC
