The attitude of the police and lower level functionaries together with poor recruitment methods, lack of training and emphasis on force as well as corruption have driven people away from the police. This article attempts to find solutions for the issues we face in Indian police and also tries to bring the focus back on citizen friendly policing.
The police force in India was formed during the colonial period as an instrument of oppression – Britishers wanted to enforce their laws on Indians by hook or by crook. Our colonial masters would exploit their power to inflict extreme brutal measures on citizens through the police.
One horrifying example of police atrocity in the British Raj was the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre in which thousands of unarmed people were brutally killed on the directions of General Reginald Dyer.
The general approach of the police, as is seen historically, has always been callous and reprobate. It appears that our police has not been able to overcome this colonial mindset entirely.
India desperately need police reforms. It isn’t just a present-day demand but a long-standing necessity. Various commissions and committees have submitted their reports, but their recommendations were never implemented.
Some of the prominent committees formed for the police reforms are Gore Committee on Police Training, the National Police Commission, the Ribeiro Committee on Police Reforms, the Padmanabhaiah Committee on Police Reforms and the Soli Sohrabjee Committee. All the recommendations have largely been left to gather dust.
The petition was a result of the failure of the government to comply with the recommendations given by the various committees over the years.
The Supreme Court, in the year 2006, gave its verdict directing all the states and union territories to adhere to the new model.
Since then, the apex court has recognised the need for police reforms in the country, and has, time from time to time checked whether the state administrations are complying with the new set of rules.
India lacks the adequate number of police officers and the existing ones are inadequately trained. But that’s not all, when recruitment is done at a mass scale, the selection is difficult too.
Also, culturally police and citizens don’t mix well in India. This is one of the reasons why there is an undercurrent of negativity surrounding police in India.
Police is underfunded and undermotivated. Police stations are badly equipped to handle the kind of information technology they need. They resort to all kinds of harassment to extort money from citizens. Their inability to tackle crime or check corruption has taken its toll on their image and they are also seen as a repressive force.
There are many police reforms needed to bring about a qualitative change in the functioning of Indian Police departments. Two aspects that need immediate focus are provision of quality training to young recruits that would instill professionalism in them while also forming their moral character, and a strict enforcement of ethical governance standards within the departments by the senior officers.
Police reforms by establishing a new police commission will not yield results. Because police commissions cannot change the system that compels police to operate by the politicians, bureaucrats, and others in authority.
