"Speak Softly And Carry A Big Stick You Will Go Far": Sanjay Arora's One Year On 14th Floor.

"Speak Softly And Carry A Big Stick" This quote from former US President Theodore Roosevelt perhaps is enough, to sum up Sanjay Arora's one year at the 14th Floor of Delhi Police Headquarters at Jai Singh Marg, but matching analogy or to put it into perspective requires explanation. On 31st July 2022, Delhi Police again got a new outsider- Sanjay Arora when everyone was expecting the return of the AGMUT cadre. For many AGMUT IPS officers, it was a heartache moment but for a Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer leaving a paramilitary organisation and entering into a completely new scenario seemed a bit challenging; even initial assessments of some Special CPs labelled him underrated, but as soon as Arora gets his grip on the HQ everyone realised that 14th Floor has soft exterior but rigid interiors. In the condition of anonymity, one senior officer of the power corridor said, "A mediocre view was running in everyone's mind, but perceptions changed within months; Arora steered his boat quite perfectly within one year". Arora knew that the metropolitan policing landscape of Delhi was a bit different and would require changes, but the road was not that easy. The first challenge was to save himself from the solid headwinds of the influence of AGMUT IPS officers, where he chose to run his assessment and scans that helped him to get an accurate picture of Delhi Police's state of affairs. An ad-hoc OSD in CP's office and shunting women DCPs out of districts on their poor performance was the first sign of the Commissioner's autonomy at work. Conquering strong headwinds of influence and securing its autonomy without much noise was the first hit in the Delhi Police's Headquarters. As time progressed, new policing challenges and some sensational cases glared, but the silent and composed demeanour of the Commissioner steered Delhi Police's boat well in choppy waters. In one year tenure, at structural levels, some long-term measures have been taken- PCR Normalisation, Training reforms and revamping the firepower of Delhi Police which included makeovers in Delhi Police's commando unit and strengthening it by opening a training center in Rajasthan. The pace at which changes are taking place seems to indicate that Arora is focusing more on enhancing internal administration, human resources coordination and firepower of the force, which will play a significant role in G-20 preparations but corruption and grey zone policing is one crucial issue which Arora must focus upon as these were some few misses which had put Delhi Police under storm since past few months. At an assessment level, power corridor often discusses that Sanjay Arora's working style, to some extent, matches former police commissioner Amulya Patnaik. Both are thorough gentlemen who know how to work quietly and stay sharp. As G-20 and significant events near, Sanjay Arora gears for extensive tests in almost one year of G-20 and Lok Sabha elections, but a big stick of remaining silent yet sharp and soft demeanour will not only help him to inspire MHA's confidence but also in sailing smoothly for rest of the tenure.