Guwahati, April 21 (IANS): Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday instructed police to go easy on public protests and said baton-charge and firing should be the last resort while controlling any mob.

"Our performance in mob control is not very good. Sometimes you allowed a crowd to gather without taking preventive measures or failed to anticipate the trouble due to poor intelligence," Gogoi said in his address during the two-day annual conference of deputy commissioners and police superintendents at the Assam Administrative Staff College here.

"We should not resort to lathi-charge (baton-charge) without trying other options. People's lives are very precious," he said.

He also took stock of the measures taken to speed up investigation in criminal cases and the steps taken to prevent crimes.

Gogoi asked police to step up vigil against illegal non-banking financial companies or chit funds, crimes against women, mob control mechanisms, and border management among others.

Police "should step up efforts to check witch-hunting, human trafficking and crimes against children, and try to improve communication with the community and NGOs and handle certain situations with more sympathy", he said.