Mumbai, (DHNS): Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday instructed the police top brass to improve intelligence gathering.

Chairing the annual police officers' meeting at the police headquarters here, he said the murders of Deepak Rao and Basheer in Mangaluru could have been averted with proper intelligence inputs. The murders acquired political and communal overtones, and the Congress government is wary of developments that might cast a shadow on the party's electoral prospects three months from now.

"We are conducting a special recruitment drive for the intelligence wing, and will provide training in technology for those who remain in intelligence. They will not be moved to law and order, crime or traffic," Siddaramaiah said.
Falling crime rate

The chief minister said the crime rate had come down down by 1% in the state in 2017, while at the national level, it had come down by 5 to 6%.

He instructed the police top brass to prioritise safety for women, girl students, and children, and said the government would hold senior officers responsible for untoward incidents.

Siddaramaiah also called for better intelligence collection to curb the narcotics menace taking a toll on students.

"Drugs should not be available. Police must find out who is behind the racket and bring them to book even if they are powerful," he said.

Election preparedness

Siddaramaiah instructed the police to keep an eye out for communal elements, especially in the coastal belt.

He said they were free to invoke the Goonda Act to rein in those associated with fundamentalist groups.

Karnataka Assembly elections are due in about three months.