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FADING COLOUR OF KHAKI
THE YEAR was bad for the police department. While Governor TV Rajeswar once again raised accusing fingers at the questionable role of the police during the controversial Zila Panchayat chairmen elections, for DGP Yashpal Singh, the year proved to be ?blot? on his yearlong regime, because of communal riots in Mau. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has long stopped calling the UP Police an ?adarsh police? (ideal police).
The DGP’s comment on FIRs and that their registration should be ‘outsourced’ — maybe off-handish and even impractical — is a telling commentary on the state of the police and policing in the State.
THE YEAR was bad for the police department. While Governor TV Rajeswar once again raised accusing fingers at the questionable role of the police during the controversial Zila Panchayat chairmen elections, for DGP Yashpal Singh, the year proved to be ‘blot’ on his yearlong regime, because of communal riots in Mau.
Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has long stopped calling the UP Police an ‘adarsh police’ (ideal police).
In this background, senior police officers had assembled here for the Police Week to ponder over what had gone wrong. However, the exercise proved to be lackluster one and one in futility. By and large, the officers were not interested in debate during various presentations, as for them it was, “just a routine exercise” as one SSP put it. In fact, during the last few years, the annual brainstorming sessions at officers’ conference have become directionless.
There is no paucity of intelligent and upright young officers in the department but they are virtually rusting for political reasons. Interestingly, amid prevailing confusion, the DGP’s suggestion to take away the rights of the police for registration of cases, has led to a heated debate in the department. Was it a professional suggestion or a political game plan to further cut the police to size, is the question doing round among IPS officers.
While one officer said minus the FIR “what will we do”, another senior officer advised the DGP to “read the CrPC, if not fully, at least Section 154, 155 and 156 dealing with the rights of the police station officer about the registration of FIR”. Nothing can be done without amendment in the CrPC, he said and added, “outsourcing FIRs’ registration was a funny idea”. Except some suggestions, no officers took the proposal seriously.
"After the politicians started demanding a share in the liquor money, FIRs and investigations have turned out money-spinning business at police stations” pointed out one SSP. Interestingly, the DGP now wants this also to go to some other agency. The DGP’s suggestion, though impractical, has amply demonstrated that the police had not been properly registering FIRs.
No doubt the DGP’s concern for non-registration of FIRs is genuine. Right from the level of additional SPs in the district to top leadership, every officer is always flooded with this complaint. It is “phanda” (noose) which is hanging around the neck of officers. The issue had also been politically exploited by successive regimes. While during Mayawati’s period there was massive exercise to “hide crime” by refusing to register cases, during the current dispensation, initially the trend was reversed but now the department, with massive rise in crimes has gone back to the old practice.
During the presentation about police functioning, it was amply demonstrated that the public perception about the force vis-à-vis their safety, was not at all good. This is what the Chief Minister has repeatedly pointed out that if the people feel safe, the law and order is good.
The presentation made by ADG crime RK Tiwari and Rajiv Krishna made it clear that a lot was required to improve the policing system in the state. Tiwari said public perception was always based on crime figures. Rajiv Krishna said in Rajasthan, the people had better perception about safety and security. UP certainly had high crime index, as compared to other states.
The presentation indicated three areas of concern- murder, robbery, burglary and dacoity. But one major factor, which could not be overlooked, is “work load” on the police. “The police were involved in every sphere of public life”, commented SSP Varanasi Navniet Sikera. Recently one family court directed the police to ensure that a couple should live like wife and man.
Though leg pulling and backbiting had been the character of the department, the DGP’s wife, Gita Singh, had given a new dimension to this characteristic by launching an open tirade against DG PAC Bua Singh.
Seven days shrunk into seven hours
THE ANNUAL Police Week came and passed us, yet again. What should be an exercise in soul-searching, brainstorming and pro-creation, turned out to be the same as it always was: pomp, show, ceremony, fun and gossip. The serious part shrank to seven hours of discussion on police issues concerning two lakh policemen with Rs 2,300 crore worth of budget and attended by 300 officers.
Where are the working groups, the think tanks, the action groups, the ATRs? There is much more to a Police Week than the much-awaited CM announcement of an IPS secretary to the CM secretariat or Home department. In the last Police Week, the CM had left us with a thought on why should the PAC and civil police not be interchangeable as in many other States? He had said that the IPS should think about the motivation levels of the young PAC recruit, who also desires to do civil police work but almost never gets a chance. Have we, as a fraternity, even spent two minutes on this issue?
Have we ever thought of the motivation levels of the top few SIs who are sent to the Intelligence Department for their entire lives? Is it actually required? Why can these personnel not be inter-changed with the civil police? Experience will flow, motivation will rise and fresh attitudes and ideas will revive.
Have we discussed the now-complete control of the elected representatives on the selection of SHOs? What about the concept of full authority and responsibility of an SP when he can’t even choose his SHO. Have we come up with a via media? When MLAs and MPs give in writing to the CM that a certain SP/DSP must be changed then that letter becomes a permanent official record.
Why not do the same for all district level political requests? At least that will pinpoint responsibility in the event that that SHO does not perform. On the contrary, the request of an MLA to remove an SHO with questionable professional ability, when on official record, will prove an SP’s un-professionalism in case that SHO does not perform. It will serve a twin purpose.
Why is our Intelligence department so weak? Why does it give us only political intelligence and post-facto law and order briefs? Where is the criminal/terrorist/Naxal intelligence? The manpower, the skill and the resources are available - the drive and the out-of-the-box thinking is not. Apart from appraising an SHO on crime figures, have we been able to come up with a single format for broad-based performance assessment? Such monthly appraisals must be made the most important document for transfers. This will give SPs monumental support in “saving” good, upright SHOs from evil influences. It could begin our journey away from the current “caste-based, political favourite” format for postings.
None of the above foods for thought require even one nod from either the Home Ministry or the CM. All of this we can do without spending an extra rupee. If it improves our internal management, then why not? But, we have so much time to stand and stare and comment and pass judgment, but no time to pro-create and reform.
Have we spent even a moment on wondering why our three star generals get road-stopped by mafiosi? Why is our image that of corruption, inefficiency and sloth? Why, is the work of a few talented ones highlighted, even when they are doing nothing extra-ordinary but just fighting crime or taking a stand against illegal orders?
The Police Week needs focused work groups, daylong discussions and should be inclusive of members of the intelligentsia, press and public representatives. Then, we will know where we are, where we have to go and where we are actually going.
