Editorial: Police reforms overdue

There is a need to revise the legal and institutional framework to move towards smart policing.

Hyderabad: The agenda of the recently concluded conference of the chiefs of all State police forces and paramilitary organisations remained focused on security-related matters but the grassroots problems and challenges of policing did not get the attention they deserve. While it is certainly important to deliberate on strategies to tackle issues like terrorism and cybercrimes, basic issues confronting the police — lack of adequate infrastructure and manpower, pathetic working conditions, lack of modern equipment, questionable methods of procuring evidence, and lack of accountability of erring officers — must deserve top priority. The legal and institutional framework governing police matters in India was inherited from the British. The current legal framework, comprising the Police Act, 1861, and other State specific laws, is deficient in establishing an accountable police force. There is a need to revise the legal and institutional framework to move towards smart policing. Reforming the police administration is long overdue, a fact acknowledged by multiple expert committees and courts in the past. Instead of inspiring confidence, the police system typically evokes fear of harassment among the general public. It is a legacy problem inherited from the colonial rulers who had used policing as a tool to instil fear among people. This must change and the change should start at the training stage itself. There have been several recommendations by the expert committees in the past for improving efficiency and professionalism in the police system but the situation on the ground is far from encouraging.

According to the Status of Policing in India Report 2019, police work at 77% of their sanctioned strength and these personnel work for 14 hours a day on average. Training of personnel is abysmal and the training institutions have not kept pace with the changing paradigm on the law or crime front. Technology support leaves much to be desired. Police duties in India are tougher than in any other part of the world, and these are going to get tougher in the days to come. Police reforms are also necessary periodically, since crimes and insurgencies are changing and becoming more sophisticated. Today’s police forces require strong communication support, modern weapons and high mobility. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission noted in 2007 that politicians unduly influenced police personnel for personal or political reasons. There is a need for the creation of an independent and autonomous investigative agency to insulate it from political influences. The archaic, colonial-era Police Act does not correspond with the democratic aspirations of the people. Any institution that tends to deviate from the core values of respecting individual freedom, dignity and cultural and social diversity faces the risk of losing public faith. Since the police have an active interface with the people, there is a need to re-orient their training modules to reflect the changing needs and sensitise them about the people’s concerns.

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