Indian Police – An Overview on Reforms Happening in the current system
Introduction
Antarctica is a continent yet not a country. There is land but no citizens. It is the people who transform a piece of earth in to a motherland. Thus it is the citizens who can make a country worth living. There are many countries which have flourished in spite of antagonistic climatic conditions on the other hand countries which are self sufficient in themselves have faced numerous economic difficulties. I believe that citizens play an important role in the development of a country. They can build or destroy a nation’s future.
Why is it needed?
India’s population was about 1,129,866,154 in 2007. The statistics reveal that there is less than one i.e. 0.956207 police officer per 1,000 people whereas in Mauritius it is 7.28432 per 1,000 people. Therefore it is the responsibility of the citizens to help the country to prevent crime.
Recently I had a discussion about the image of police with an Inspector General of Police. He expressed his concerns about the corruption prevailing in the system. But he also mentioned that the morale of the police is highly affected by the reaction of public. “Even though both men in army and police are provided with uniform, former is given out most respect whereas the latter is belittled by all. It is a reality that many of our officers have tainted the image of the entire police force but some of them have also sacrificed their lives for the nation. Why is every police officer assumed to be corrupt or tyrant? Shouldn’t the public cooperate with the police to make India a better country?”
How can it be done?
The police of various states have initiated community policing programs in their areas. Most of them include:
1. Family Counselling Centres
2. Town/ Urban Defence Societies
3. Village Defence Societies
4. Child Friendly Police
5. Medical Relief to the Injured
6. De addiction Camps
7. Police help for Visually Challenged
Thus, police has been instrumental in protecting the interests of people by involving them. The Village Defence Societies have proved a great asset in combating menace of dacoity in villages. Due to V.D.S there has been an increase in rural education, plantation of trees and construction of roads. This has also reduced crime rates and communal tensions in the villages.
The police have been working for providing free immediate relief to an accident victim, a victim of domestic violence and a child in distress. With the commendable efforts of police visually challenged people were provide with talking books i.e. the notes of the class were recorded in a cassette and writers books consisting of hundreds of student volunteers including a large number of family members of policemen. These volunteers offered their services as writers for visually impaired students during examinations including Board of Secondary Education.
One of the major community policing initiative is the launch of De-addiction camps. These camps have provided treatments to the addicts. Camps are organized by the government and private doctors for about 45 days. The treatment includes medical, psychological and psychiatric treatment including sessions of Yoga. These camps are generally launched with active support of National Social Services, Red Cross Society and Doordarshan.
Conclusion
It is strange that the police are blamed for most of the crimes done in the society. We usually forget that most of the criminals sprout out amongst us. Most of us must have had a bad experience with them. But there are officers who are continuously working for the benefit of the society. It is essential that these officers are responded with faith by the public, otherwise their efforts would be ruined. It is even our duty to protect the people around us. On commission of any offense we must inform the nearest police station. It is a shame that we act as mere spectators on the site of an accident instead of helping the victim. We are as much accountable to the nation as any other politician or police man.
