10-02-2007, 12:17 AM
Pioneer, Op-Ed 2 October 2007
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Crime and police </b>
RD Kewalramani proposes an agenda for police reforms
In India, the police force is quite understaffed. The UN norm is 222 policemen per one lakh people; In European countries, it's between 250 and 450. In India, it is 122; in Bihar, it's 58; in Andhra Pradesh, it's 98.
In Delhi, there are about 125 police stations. In each magistrate court, in whose jurisdiction one or more police stations lie, has two or more policemen to produce the accused, prepare remand or bail papers, prepare summons and warrants, check the attendance of witnesses and so on.
<b>There is little corruption in the armed constabulary that constitutes 70 per cent of the local force and is employed in guard and escort duties. </b>To say as such that police is wholly corrupt is wrong.
There should be no financial constraint in having an efficient and effective police force. Providing the local thana with sophisticated arms is not required. Only Anti-Terrorist Squads (ATS) need modern weapons and allied equipment.
The Dharma Vira Commission gave many valuable suggestions to improve the police force more than 25 years ago, but our politicians have little time for public security or inclination to keep criminals under check. Most of the recommendations of the commission have, therefore, been ignored.
We do not have district jails in many districts. One big jail is Tihar in Delhi; it houses under-trials in courts around Delhi -- Tis Hazari, Rohini, Karkardooma, India Gate and Saket. There are nine district magistrates, one each for the nine districts, but there is only one jail. To aggravate the problem, many States have formed new revenue districts without police lines, jails, and treasuries.
Police's special units, with the staff in plain clothes, are put into operation to check gambling, prostitution, illegal sale of narcotics, and liquor law violations. Such units need to be strengthened.
The police need quick and efficient services of experts in handwriting, blood and semen samples recovered from the scene of crime. The police deal with dead bodies -- many of them unclaimed -- and produce them before medical officers for post-mortem examinations.
<b>Many of our criminal justice laws are out of date. The penal code was enacted in 1860, the Evidence Act in 1872. The Police Act is of 1861. Any confession before a police officer is not admissible in courts of law. This is like carrying the legacy of distrust during the British rule.</b>
It costs several lakhs of rupees to train our Armymen and policemen. Training an IPS officer -- there are about 3,000 such officers in the country -- is also very costly. But these officers are demotivated on seeing the low level of morality of politicians.
The Government should not only implement the Dharma Vira Committee recommendations but also seriously consider:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Crime and police </b>
RD Kewalramani proposes an agenda for police reforms
In India, the police force is quite understaffed. The UN norm is 222 policemen per one lakh people; In European countries, it's between 250 and 450. In India, it is 122; in Bihar, it's 58; in Andhra Pradesh, it's 98.
In Delhi, there are about 125 police stations. In each magistrate court, in whose jurisdiction one or more police stations lie, has two or more policemen to produce the accused, prepare remand or bail papers, prepare summons and warrants, check the attendance of witnesses and so on.
<b>There is little corruption in the armed constabulary that constitutes 70 per cent of the local force and is employed in guard and escort duties. </b>To say as such that police is wholly corrupt is wrong.
There should be no financial constraint in having an efficient and effective police force. Providing the local thana with sophisticated arms is not required. Only Anti-Terrorist Squads (ATS) need modern weapons and allied equipment.
The Dharma Vira Commission gave many valuable suggestions to improve the police force more than 25 years ago, but our politicians have little time for public security or inclination to keep criminals under check. Most of the recommendations of the commission have, therefore, been ignored.
We do not have district jails in many districts. One big jail is Tihar in Delhi; it houses under-trials in courts around Delhi -- Tis Hazari, Rohini, Karkardooma, India Gate and Saket. There are nine district magistrates, one each for the nine districts, but there is only one jail. To aggravate the problem, many States have formed new revenue districts without police lines, jails, and treasuries.
Police's special units, with the staff in plain clothes, are put into operation to check gambling, prostitution, illegal sale of narcotics, and liquor law violations. Such units need to be strengthened.
The police need quick and efficient services of experts in handwriting, blood and semen samples recovered from the scene of crime. The police deal with dead bodies -- many of them unclaimed -- and produce them before medical officers for post-mortem examinations.
<b>Many of our criminal justice laws are out of date. The penal code was enacted in 1860, the Evidence Act in 1872. The Police Act is of 1861. Any confession before a police officer is not admissible in courts of law. This is like carrying the legacy of distrust during the British rule.</b>
It costs several lakhs of rupees to train our Armymen and policemen. Training an IPS officer -- there are about 3,000 such officers in the country -- is also very costly. But these officers are demotivated on seeing the low level of morality of politicians.
The Government should not only implement the Dharma Vira Committee recommendations but also seriously consider:
- Giving the power of investigation to constables with over five years service and proficiency in local language,
Relieving the police of service of summons and warrants - let the civilian staff of courts perform these jobs; the police will then have more time to catch thieves, robbers, pickpockets, car lifters, etc,
Withdrawing armed guards from the residences of VIPs and officers; this work may be outsourced to private security agencies,
Banning the creation of new districts or police stations in various states and union territories for five years.
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