Dehradun, Dec 1 (IANS): Ashok Kumar, a 1989 batch IPS officer, has taken over as the new Director General of Police of Uttarakhand. After taking over, he said he aims to make the state police a smart police in the coming days, an official release said on Tuesday.

Ashok Kumar, a B. Tech and M. Tech engineer from IIT-Delhi took over from Anil Kumar Raturi who retired on Monday after 33 years of service. A small function was held at the state police headquarters here on the occasion. Kumar is the 11th DGP of Uttarakhand.

Addressing the media after taking over the charge, Kumar said, "I aim to make the state police a smart police and also to make it more efficient."

He also said the victim centric policing will be the motto of the Uttarakhand Police. He also emphasised that the state police will be more sensitive towards the women and child related crimes.

He also stressed that the police will also focus on the drug smugglers in the state, as the state has emerged as a new educational hub for national and international students who are the soft targets for the peddlers.

Kumar further stated that he will also focus on strengthening the cyber cell of the state police to deal with cyber crimes that have been on rise. He further stressed that to put a check on the land mafia in the state, the police will deal with them under the stringent gangster Act and other acts.