Revamp, reform of police, Jiwal’s passion projects

Chennai: Shankar Jiwal, who retires as DGP after 35 years of sterling service, is remembered by his colleagues and subordinates for his fearless policing and tough field action in his early years, and for ground-breaking police modernization measures as the head of the police force.Officers recall a 2009 incident in Madurai where a livid Jiwal switching off his wireless set, entering the feared MK Puram and personally chasing down anti-social elements. Beyond such field action, he was also credited with designing an early public grievance redressal mechanism in 1995, when technology in policing was minimal.As DGP, Jiwal introduced many initiatives to improve work-life balance among personnel, particularly women officers. He supported TN govt's policy of compulsory weekly off-days for police and flexi-work hours for women. He also launched dedicated workshops on balancing personal and professional life. TN later became a leading state in police welfare and mental health programmes, introducing schemes such as Anandham and Magizhchi.Jiwal has contributed immensely to internal security and intelligence. In 2009, as deputy inspector-general of intelligence, he supervised seizure of more than 100 kg of explosives from the houses of suspected fundamentalists in Tirunelveli. Colleagues noted his ability to blend fieldwork with technical analysis. In one case, while probing a fake currency racket, he reviewed call data records himself and corrected misleading information provided by a suspect, leading to arrest of two more accomplices.Under his leadership, TN Police enhanced its technical intelligence capacity, supplementing traditional human intelligence with advanced surveillance tools. This helped in tracing long-absconding fundamentalists such as Abu Backer Siddique, Tailor Raja, and Mohammad Ali.Jiwal also oversaw reforms in administration and transparency. He introduced the CL App, enabling constables to apply for casual leave without bureaucratic hurdles, and expanded the SPARROW system to digitize annual confidential records of non-IPS officers. As he bids farewell after decades of service, colleagues describe Jiwal as a leader who combined courage in action with foresight in modernizing the force.

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