Dhoble who will soon retire from the police department urges people to assist police force for reducing crimes.
ACP Vasant Dhoble who had grabbed headlines for crackdown on pubs and restaurants in the city will retire by the end of this month. Dhoble was known as the most feared police official as bar owners used to distribute his photographs to their staff members to remain alert if he entered their premises. Dhoble won both appreciation and criticism for his aggressive style of functioning. He used to conduct the raid with three or four constables and never revealed about raid locations to anyone.
Citizens appreciated his aggressive style of functioning for preventing crime incidents in the city. He was posted as the ACP of Vakola Division where he was in charge of two police stations. When Patnaik was transferred following the 2012 Azad Maidan riots, Dr Satyapal Singh took over as the police chief, and Dhoble was transferred out of the SS branch.
Dhoble spoke about his journey and experience while serving the police department and said, “It was a memorable experience to work with the police department. During my 38 years of service, I have apprehended the criminals and proved their crimes before the honourable courts. Since I hail from a small town of Maharashtra, I never dreamed big, but loved working for poor and helping them throughout my career.”
“Criticism is a part and parcel of the job. It also means that I was working on the right path. I never expressed sympathy or gave any leniency to those indulging in illegal activities. People have also filed cases against me many times but I don’t have any regret,” he added.
Following a controversy involving a hawker’s death, he was shunted to the Missing Persons Bureau in September 2014, from where he will retire as ACP on May 31. Debates used to be aired on news channels about whether Dhoble is ruining the city’s night life by carrying out recurring raids.
Speaking about his future plans after retirement Dhoble said, “I will probably assist my son for running his business and would also continue to work for the welfare of the people. I may join some NGO or organization. However, my focus will be on helping poor children and safety of women.”
Dhoble used to survey the areas he was to raid in unmarked vehicles or taxis, often in disguise. He would also keep his informants in the dark to ensure bar owners were not tipped off. He is now set to pass on all these tricks to the SSB.
When asked whether he want to give any message to his department, Dhoble replied, “Well I am merely a low ranking officer. Officials should remain more dedicated towards their work. They should be given a free hand to discharge their duties without any pressure from seniors. Working in the police force is a good experience, if you love giving justice to the needy persons.”
“People must remain vigilant and report about crimes happening in their vicinity and thus they will see many more Vasant Dhoble’s working. I am grateful to the people for supporting me during my tenure in the police department,” he said.
