An Open Letter to all the Police Officers of the Country Dear Friends, I have been thinking of writing to all the police officers of the country for quite some time, particularly the Superintendents of Police, in the context of Supreme Court directions on Police Reforms. The letter got delayed because I was not sure how to go about it. When I learnt about the G-files and was told that it is distributed to all the Superintendents of Police of the country, I thought this was the best medium to make use of. You are all aware of the Supreme Court directions. However, very briefly, these visualize three new institutions at the State level: the setting up of State Security Commission to insulate the police from political pressures; the Police Establishment Board to give autonomy to police in personnel matters; the Police Complaints Authority to strengthen the accountability mechanism. Besides, the Apex Court has laid down a transparent procedure for the selection of DGP, prescribed a minimum tenure for all the field officers, and directed that the investigation and law and order functions be separated in the bigger towns. Quite a few states (ten of them, to be precise) have fully complied with the directions. Some states have done partial compliance. Some have passed laws which are not necessarily in conformity with the Supreme Court directions. Some have adopted a defiant posture; a contempt application has already been filed against them. The Court battle will go on. Meanwhile, we should see that an atmosphere in favour of Police Reforms is built up. For this purpose, we need to mobilise the support of NGOs and other significant segments of society, particularly the media. But there is another area where all of you must contribute. You have to demonstrate not only your willingness but keenness to change. There are many aspects of police functioning which could be improved by your personal initiative and interest. You should do whatever is possible within the existing framework. These may appear small matters to you, but from the point of view of the people they are very important. I propose to outline some of these issues which deserve your special attention: Reception – A complainant who approaches the police for any kind of help or redress should be properly received. His problem should be listened to with patience and understanding. The matter may or may not relate to the police. It may or may not be within the competence of the police officer concerned to take appropriate action in the matter. But he could always give a patient hearing to the complainant and do whatever he possibly can his powers. Behaviour – There are always complaints about police behaviour, that it is uncouth, unsympathetic and even brutish. Why can’t we give lessons to the lower functionaries to behave politely, courteously and with compassion? These traits can be inculcated. Training institutions could emphasise this. Our own officers, during their tours, could drill this into the minds of the policemen. If the behaviour is sympathetic, the complainant is not hurt to that extent even if the grievance remains unaddressed or the case is not worked out. Reporting – Non-registration of cases continues to be a serious problem. I am conscious of the fact that people tend to lodge frivolous complaints. These could be quickly verified. In fact, in many cases, through experience you can make out whether the complaint is genuine or fake. In any case, there is a lot of scope for improvement in the registration of cases. You should have the moral courage to justify the increase in crime figures to the senior officers and the politicians. Integrity – There are frequent complaints of policemen demanding money or even extorting that from the common man. Better supervision followed by strict action should bring down these complaints. Of course, the officers’ conduct themselves will have to be above board. It may not be possible to eliminate corruption but you could certainly contain it. Women/Tribals/SCs/Poor People – These sections of people deserve your special consideration. Any high-handedness in dealing with them brings the police into disrepute. Incidents are played up by the media and the image of the force is tarnished. Uphold the Rule of Law – This should be your paramount consideration. Deviating from this for short-sighted gains would invariably land you into trouble, if not today, at some date later on. A large number of police officers have suffered for complying with the illegal directions of the superiors. Two examples should suffice. The officers who abused their authority while combating terrorism in Punjab continue to be hounded to this day. Secondly, the officers who committed irregularities in the recruitment of constables in UP were suspended en masse. What I want to emphasise is that even if you have to pay a price today for not doing something which is wrong or illegal, you should be willing to pay that today and retain your self-respect and honour rather than risk humiliation or even prosecution at a later date. You would see that none of the above suggestions require any support or orders from above. They do not involve any financial implications either. It is just a question of deciding to observe and enforce certain norms of behaviour and rules of functioning. All I want to emphasize is that the policemen should be polite and courteous, appear helpful and that their behaviour, particularly towards the weaker sections, should be marked by a humane approach. Whatever contribution you would make in this direction would go a long way in generating public opinion in favour of Police Reforms. Even otherwise, it would change the perception of people about the police. The police image would be refurbished. We have to show that the police is willing to change, that it is in fact keen to change and that we shall henceforth have a people-friendly police accountable primarily to the laws of the land and the Constitution of the country. What was essentially a Force is now a Service. The Ruler’s Police has metamorphosed into the People’s Police.
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 04:21:37 +0000
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