B.K. Gupta is the new Delhi Police chief

NEW DELHI - B.K. Gupta Wednesday replaced Y.S. Dadwal as Delhi’s new police commissioner, and called for a “new culture” in one of the largest police forces in the country.

Dadwal will take over as chief of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) — a paramilitary force tasked with guarding India’s borders with Nepal and Bhutan.

Gupta is a 1975 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and UNion Territory cadre, and was director-general of prisons in Delhi before being appointed the police commissioner.

The old concept of policing has to gonew friendly policing is needed. Police should understand the problems of the common man and deal with these compassionately, Gupta told reporters.

According to the new chief, his two passions - the elite anti-terror wing special cell and the crime branch - would get a revamp and only the best officers would be posted in them.

As joint commissioner of police with the Crime Branch during 2003-04, Gupta has to his credit a record seizure of contraband drugs, and exposure of several white collar crimes, including busting of the notorious Telgi counterfeit stamp scandal.

There will be performance parameters and the officers will have to deliver. There will be zero tolerance towards corruption performers will shine and non-performers will perish, Gupta added.

“Another focus will be making police stations women friendly,” he said, adding that there will be more women personnel at police stations near Delhi University.

The new police chief was accorded a guard of honour on his arrival at the police headquarters where Dadwal handed over the charge to him.