POLICE FORCES AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIP—FOR A BETTER PROSTECTIVE WITHOUTRETROGRADE-

POLICE FORCES AND COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIP—FOR A BETTER PROSTECTIVE WITHOUTRETROGRADE-

By the grant of several Charters, like ‘The Charter of 1609’ of The James I; ‘The Charter of 1661’ of The Charles Ii; and ‘The Charter of 1668’, the Englishmen in the name of the East India Company have set up their foot in India and established as the British Rulers in India for over two centuries duly embodying the court and the police proceedings as like in England in the name of the Crown.

The administrative set up of the local rulers has been taken over by them by administering justice to the people in the civil and in the criminal nature of wrongs.

The British, having experienced the impact of the Indian’s strength in the 1857 ‘First War of Independence,-‘The Sepoy Mutiny’, thought of more economical and organized substitution in place of their Military power. With the result, the Police Commission of 1860 recommended for creation the civil constabulary as a substitute to their Military Force. By taking the Indians into confidence and successfully utilized them as a watch dog through a duly enacted Law that is ‘The Indian Police Act, 1861’.

Their aim was to establish themselves in India to preserve internal tranquility and peace using the so called police as a more effective instrument under their command.

However, after independence, the police is engulfed with multi furious duties and its working acquired special importance in our welfare state and the current thinking is to transplant the organization as an “ instrument of service” and not as “Efficient  Instrument” only. The Indian Police Force now aimed to safeguard the interests of the society in addition to maintenance of law and order and general welfare of the society at large.

But it is unfortunate that even after 50 years of democratic living, the unhappy reflections of the British ‘Master and Servant’ charged with pessimism, forgetting the reality that governments have come and gone but the police still manage to preserve the macabre heritage and thereby; ignore the message of the Mahatma that”-service without humility is selfishness, and even today there is an iron curtain drawn between the Police and the people in this country.

The impression of the people that they are denuded of their fundamental right of approaching the police shall be erased by exhibiting love and affection by the Police in their routine duties. Duty devoid of self imposed discipline and devotion, brings disrespect and develops hatred toward any organization. There must be mutual accommodation and understating between Statutory Police Forces and a democratically established State like India.

The PREAMBLE of The Police Act, 1861 envisage”-where as it is expedient to reorganize the police and to make it a more efficient instrument for prevention and detection of crime……”It is still fresh in our minds and making us to believe that the police organism is an ‘instrument’. This conception is not only faulty but is not in line with the changing socialistic pattern of the society and the legislation. The preamble of any enactment is considered to be the watch dog of the philosophy of the legislation. The line of thinking that the preamble is the watch dog and the guiding rod for any enactment is not only a historical past but it is still the present reality.

An “INSTRUMENT’ is nothing but a tool, a tool in the hands of a skilled worker will give better results. The instrument alone cannot be found fault with, and move so as per its usage if handled by a misfit. The Police as an instrument designed and created for better services.

One should shake off the dust of the past and plant his feet firmly in the present system. While the words may belong to the old order, the sense should radiate to the new order of thinking.

As aptly pointed out by Late Smt. Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, that,”…. (The police_... were guardians of the poor and their success depended on their confidence, respect and the cooperation of the public. Theirs was not a Force, but a Service….”.This statement spells out the motto of the police organizations’ set up.

Former President of the United States of America, Late Mr. Nixon., while paying compliments to the police stated”.. Let us give them respect, respect that money cannot buy, but which they deserve; when they are trying to protect the society from those who seek to endanger or destroy it...”

It is apt to quote the words of the former Prime Minister of India, Late Mr. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,”... In India, there is a hangover of old days when the police was distrusted and considered as something apart from service in peace time…”

Certain groups and forces have combined the police and the law, not allowing law and order to be enforced and there by respect for law and order deteriorating.

These comments of the greatest leaders of the democratic countries advance the thought that the police is not only meant for prevention and detection of crime, but it has a noble role to play in a welfare State by infusing confidence in the fevered life of the modern society that the police is his ‘friend’.  The thinking that-‘the police are for the politicians, of the politician, buy the politician….’ And that …’ the police are far (away) the people, off the people, and buy the people....’has changed its circumference and barricades towards the welfare of the people.

Sri. S.K. Ghosh, IPS, in his book’ The Light of Other Days’, said   ”... I can say quite candidly, while majority of police officers want to be efficient and honest, and if there is an honest politician in charge, there will be an honest Police Force. It is just that simple...”

Sri. D. N. Gautam, IPS, in his book ‘What is wrong with Indian Police’, expressed the gospel truth in other words,”…The Indian Police have a typical characteristic of being strong towards the weak and weak towards the strong…’

The observations made by Mr. P. Chidambaram, Union Minster while inaugurating the second annual vigilance conference, at Chennai are worth found to be quoted..’ the virus of corruption appeared to envelop the whole fabric of society and when some people tended to be corrupt, even the honest people became suspect…”   (Indian Express- Daily News Paper- Hyderabad Edition, dated 22-3-1988).

It is thus surmised that the Police identification and working varies with the changing political rulers and that the values by segregating themselves from the society is also never the less polluting the police –public relationship...

The cordial principle of three ’Ds’—Duty, Devotion and Discipline’ among the police personnel is very often lost sight of.

This may be due to various reasons like discontentment, white collar criminality, disparity in pay, nepotism, red tape (ism) and political interference. Indiscipline in the Police Forces is ever increasing because of the preferential treatment and undue favoritisms shown by a few officers to their subordinates like postings of their choice, rewards, medals to their near and dear, denouncing the same to the right person on one pretext or other.

Mr. D.N. Gautam quoted”...a situation legal disorder was sought and created in the police supreme and actual conducting of police affairs…”... Hindi movie”Ardha Satya” depicts a system of police working, corrupt practices, and as to how the rightful persons are side lined, etc.

In the words of Mr. S.K. Ghosh,’... policing of the area is rarely thought of during the planning stage, and when law and Order problems arise, some police posts are created hurriedly and policemen are posted overnight without providing them with adequate accommodation and facilities which are made available to workers…’

…’ a policeman hardly knows a Sunday or a holiday and the periods of festivals and festivities; frequent law and order problems are generally the periods of stresses and strains for him; the matters that affect a policeman’s daily life are housing, medical treatment, education an family welfare. It is of vital importance to a disciplined force that its welfare affects to a great extent its moral and efficiency’...

The Police Forces and the police –public relationship, its services towards welfare of the society can be improved and streamlined to a larger extent if its working is reflected and directed by making the personal contacts with the public more effective and result oriented, the top brass take firm and decisive actions against the black-sheep.

The Government can take into consideration about the inadequacy of the Police force personnel to deal with the law and order problems arising out of in consequence to various aspects, which may ultimately lead to hooliganisms, arson, looting, and opening of firing at the unruly mob, etc. The Police Forces are found to be becoming the targets for all criticisms and these are some of the factors which eventually impinge on the working the Police Forces.

The Police working system can also be encircled as the instrument of service to the society. The Police can exhibit its essence of service as its motto, that service is love and that the heart has no language and it speaks to the heart and the sole. Its aim is meant service and non else. The ‘ANTHYODYA AND YESHOLABHASWA’ shall be the objective of the Police Forces.