If you ask the average Indian what they think of the Police it's usually a negative reaction. Most people do not want to get involved with them as they are perceived as being brutal and biased. Why is this so?
Most policemen at the lower levels are drawn from lower middle class backgrounds and belong to nearby towns and villages. Around Delhi, for example, there are a number of villages who have a tradition of sending their boys to the police. Patriarchal attitudes are strongly embedded in such places. Their attitudes towards women are conditioned virtually from birth. The women of the house will eat only after they have served the men. Young girls will start helping with housework at an early age while the boys have the freedom to enjoy themselves. The girls may not be educated or partially so while the boys are treated as "ghar ka chirag" These small examples are part of the overall reality of our attitude towards women and policemen's families are no different. Secondly, in such families, the attitude towards corruption is one of benign tolerance. The police recruit has seen corruption endemic in his village from his earliest youth. He may even have had to pay a large bribe to get into the police force in the first instance. Once recruited he is pitchforked into a milieu where corruption is virtually institutionalised. In fact, if he is honest and does not conform he will be singled out by his colleagues - the theme of endless Bollywood Movies.
Apart from the above, one may question what training does the police recruit receive. How does the force ensure that patriarchal attitudes towards women are changed or that there is a strong push back against corruption? How does the police force instill values of public service and incorruptibility in their recruits? It would be interesting to see what a a professional analysis of HR and Training practices followed by our Police force would throw up. Another aspect is the traditional Indian attitude of not wanting to get involved mentioned earlier. Policemen also do not want to get involved in 'trouble'. If he is unfortunate enough to get involved with a serious case of rape or murder he is scared of running afoul of powerful political or criminal interests. Ultimately he is not very different from the society that shapes him.
All these factors add up to a policeman who is not unlike the society in which he lives. He shares the patriarchal attitudes towards women, easy acceptance of corruption and a desire to stay uninvolved with any contentious issues. Not a very potent force for social reform or crime control!
What can be done? As always there are no easy answers. Societal change is obviously the basic pillar of any real improvement. But that is slow and uncertain and the factors influencing change are not strongly embedded in our country today. So what remains is; One, inspiring leadership. A lot can be achieved by dynamic and motivated police officers at the senior level. Delhi still remembers 'Crane' Bedi who was responsible for clearing the streets of badly parked cars and other traffic offenders. One wishes that there were many more like her. The second doable improvement is summary punishment for wrong doing. In the private sector, a dishonest salesman was dismissed if found guilty. There was no redressal. I realise that the Government cannot act as arbitrarily as that but there is a strong need for swift and punitive punishment for corrupt and inefficient policemen.
India needs to regain its faith in both law makers and enforcers. It is time that Government and Civic Society moved strongly and decisively to redress the anomalies that have crept in.
Most policemen at the lower levels are drawn from lower middle class backgrounds and belong to nearby towns and villages. Around Delhi, for example, there are a number of villages who have a tradition of sending their boys to the police. Patriarchal attitudes are strongly embedded in such places. Their attitudes towards women are conditioned virtually from birth. The women of the house will eat only after they have served the men. Young girls will start helping with housework at an early age while the boys have the freedom to enjoy themselves. The girls may not be educated or partially so while the boys are treated as "ghar ka chirag" These small examples are part of the overall reality of our attitude towards women and policemen's families are no different. Secondly, in such families, the attitude towards corruption is one of benign tolerance. The police recruit has seen corruption endemic in his village from his earliest youth. He may even have had to pay a large bribe to get into the police force in the first instance. Once recruited he is pitchforked into a milieu where corruption is virtually institutionalised. In fact, if he is honest and does not conform he will be singled out by his colleagues - the theme of endless Bollywood Movies.
Apart from the above, one may question what training does the police recruit receive. How does the force ensure that patriarchal attitudes towards women are changed or that there is a strong push back against corruption? How does the police force instill values of public service and incorruptibility in their recruits? It would be interesting to see what a a professional analysis of HR and Training practices followed by our Police force would throw up. Another aspect is the traditional Indian attitude of not wanting to get involved mentioned earlier. Policemen also do not want to get involved in 'trouble'. If he is unfortunate enough to get involved with a serious case of rape or murder he is scared of running afoul of powerful political or criminal interests. Ultimately he is not very different from the society that shapes him.
All these factors add up to a policeman who is not unlike the society in which he lives. He shares the patriarchal attitudes towards women, easy acceptance of corruption and a desire to stay uninvolved with any contentious issues. Not a very potent force for social reform or crime control!
What can be done? As always there are no easy answers. Societal change is obviously the basic pillar of any real improvement. But that is slow and uncertain and the factors influencing change are not strongly embedded in our country today. So what remains is; One, inspiring leadership. A lot can be achieved by dynamic and motivated police officers at the senior level. Delhi still remembers 'Crane' Bedi who was responsible for clearing the streets of badly parked cars and other traffic offenders. One wishes that there were many more like her. The second doable improvement is summary punishment for wrong doing. In the private sector, a dishonest salesman was dismissed if found guilty. There was no redressal. I realise that the Government cannot act as arbitrarily as that but there is a strong need for swift and punitive punishment for corrupt and inefficient policemen.
India needs to regain its faith in both law makers and enforcers. It is time that Government and Civic Society moved strongly and decisively to redress the anomalies that have crept in.
Not just brutal or biased, police is percieved as unfriendly, corrupt, with dirty mind, and out to screw you if you have a problem. I dont believe they are groomed/trained as 'protector of people' or to 'respect the people'. The politicians have played a big role in making the police force 'obey' their whims/fancy - mostly illegal, over time and now we have a police force which is feared by the masses and controlled by 'above the law' politicians!
ReplyDeleteVery true. The whole purpose of policing has been corrupted by politicians.
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