204 Coastal Police Stations Activated to Combat Maritime Threats
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New Delhi, Dec 17 (NationPress) The Central government has successfully activated 204 Coastal Police Stations as part of the Coastal Security Scheme (CSS), Phase I and II, aimed at enhancing security against maritime threats, as disclosed in Parliament on Tuesday.
In response to queries in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai stated, “Under the Assistance to States and UTs for Modernisation of Police scheme, Rs 63.35 crore has been allocated to nine coastal States and four Union Territories over the past two years and the current financial year.”
During the establishment of these Coastal Police Stations, a comprehensive array of resources has been provided, including 204 boats, 37 jetties, 284 four-wheelers, 554 two-wheelers, 97 check-posts, 58 out-posts, and 30 barracks for the coastal states and UTs. Additionally, six Marine Police Operation Centres (MPOC) have been built in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, according to the Minister’s answers to Dilip Saikia and Kamlesh Jangde.
Regarding training, capacity building, and the modernization efforts for coastal police, the MoS mentioned the establishment of a National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP) in District Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gujarat. So far, 1,725 personnel from coastal police, customs, BSF, and CISF have undergone various training programs.
Furthermore, the Coastal Police personnel are trained at the Coast Guard Training Centre in Kochi and at the Coast Guard District Headquarters across all coastal states and UTs. To date, 13,879 Coastal Police personnel have received training.
The MoS highlighted that the Indian Coast Guard collaborates with Coastal Police for Joint Coastal Patrolling (JCP). Since the initiation of JCP in August 2020, a total of 3,374 JCP sorties have been conducted, involving the embarkation of 8,122 personnel.
Coastal police are also involved in the coastal security exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’ and the coastal security drill ‘Sajag’, which are designed to enhance inter-agency coordination and establish robust coastal security mechanisms, as stated by the MoS.
Although police and public order fall under the jurisdiction of the States, as outlined in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, the Central government supports States in equipping and modernizing their police forces.
