At police stations, booklets and a new learning curve, even for most seasoned

Noida: On Monday, clerks, constables, sub-inspectors and SHOs sat with printouts of the new laws, poring through them like students preparing for exams, at police stations across the city.
The next few months will be challenging for them. They don’t just have to master the new criminal laws, but also carry out parallel investigations and paperwork under the old set of norms.
For cases filed from July 1, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) are to be followed. And IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act will remain in use for all cases registered till June 30.
An elderly sub-inspector, turning the pages of a booklet on BNS, at a Ghaziabad police station told TOI that there were cops who hadn’t mastered IPC sections till now.
“Even after 160 years of IPC being in use, several sections were not clear to cops and officials. The new laws may be good for the public, but for people like us, who are already trying to keep up with technology, learning the new laws will be a major task,” he said.
The SI pointed out that there were many investigating officers who weren’t “tech savvy”. “How will they use mobile apps to give regular updates to complainants,” he asked.
The SI was referring to the new norm that mandates IOs to give regular updates about probes to complainants within the 90-day period in which the closure or final report has to be filed. Earlier, police could file a charge sheet within 60-180 days, and there was no obligation to share updates with any complainant.
Similarly, a clerk at a police station in Noida said registering FIRs could take longer than usual as he doesn’t want to introduce errors on the offences to be added in the document.
“I have been in continuous touch with the APO (Assistant Prosecution Officer) to seek suggestions on implications of the new laws. We are learning right now, so we don’t want to make any mistakes. But it’s going to affect our efficiency. We have to check everything, from registering a complaint to the FIR. We will take the help of our seniors and discussions will be done at every stage,” he said.
Another sub-inspector in Noida said cops will have to carry out parallel investigations under the IPC and BNS sections.
“We know the older laws and procedures, but while working on both IPC and BNS, a lot of things can get mixed up and confusing,” he said.