Copped Out! Train him to love!

(The Tribune lead-oped on Governance Sept 27,2010, also at http://rajbirdeswal.instablogs.com/entry/copped-out-train-him-to-love/)
Setting the police house in order
Rajbir Deswal
WHAT ails the police? The malady is not difficult to diagnose. If the police has to deliver and measure up to the expectations, a lot needs to be done to recruit the right candidates with suitable reforms in the recruitment process, training, posting and welfare programmes.
As constabulary is the visible face of the police, the recruitment process needs to be made more transparent, foolproof, standardised and objective. Merit should be the sole criterion for selection. The foot-soldier constable has to be available whenever needed — be it a law and order situation, crime against person or property committed, traffic management or even while performing other regulatory duties. Any mishandling of these tasks will make him appear thick-skinned, insensitive, ruthless, supercilious and despicable in the public eye.
This writer had the opportunity to oversee the training in two Centrexs in the United Kingdom — one at Talli-Ho (Birmingham) and the other at Riton in Coventry. There the police jobs are divided into categories like general, detective, investigative, specialised, tactical and technical. In our system, we expect our constables to be masters of all trades. Training of these lower subordinates needs be on a ‘need-to-know’basis without the intricate laws, procedures, manuals and drills.
Reforms needed at the grassroots
The outdoor training imparted to the lower subordinates, particularly the parades and drills, consume equal training hours as imparting acquisition of knowledge of laws and procedures. This is not a proper ratio. The British Police are trained only in areas which are strictly commensurate and in direct proportion to the demands of duty. For example, they may not be taught the ticklish aspects of ‘Relevancy of facts’, yet they can identify a happening in front of their eyes which they can definitely perceive is illegal, as it would flow from the common understanding of an ordinary citizen who is suitable and a little more trained in making his own assessment.
The physical training having parameters of parades, drill, shooting, unarmed combat, crowd dispersal, etc. should form part of the tactical squads’ training while the knowledge of laws, rules, procedures, instructions, regulations, directions, etc should make better investigators and detectives.
The recent incident of a constable having been murdered after he chased criminals is enough indication that he should have received adequate training in unarmed combat; it should only have been part of a tactical squad trained to chase, contain and attack. The constabulary is the interactive face of the police. The poorly trained lower subordinates seem to be failing in their duty to deliver and live up the people’s expectations.
The time-tested Beat System of which the main protagonist and hero was the Beat Constable, allowed the police to keep an eye on the anti-social elements, smugglers, hoarders, black marketers, pickpockets, eve-teasers, molesters, thieves, burglars, thugs and even strangers. The recent detection of a car loaded with explosives reported from New York was the result of an eagle-eyed observation of the Beat Patrol Officer. Unfortunately, this system is no more followed in India.
In the UK, there is the peer system where the ‘elder brother-younger brother’ concept of the buddies ensures professional growth in the junior partner and assured dependence on the elder one. When Best Practices is the keyword in all spheres of management these days, why should it elude the Indian police?
Our constabulary does not take pride in their uniform because of the historically maligned image of the police. Senior officers can do more in leading by example and by being in the front. Conversely, there is less of motivation, crises of discipline and execution of dishonest intent. Hence, they are found wanting. For ills like misbehaviour with the general public and insubordination, the governments cannot be blamed. For, it is setting their own house in order by the seniors themselves. More than the government intervention, the police department is capable of stemming the rot.
Maslow’s Theory of the Hierarchy of Needs is more relevant today. Besides the physical needs, those attributable to socialising, rising in one’s own esteem, healthcare and safety needs are of paramount importance if we want to instill confidence in the rank and file.
The Barracks System of housing the police personnel in the police units has miserably failed. Nowadays, policemen want to stay with their families and children. The system of police officer on duty round the clock is no more practical and the shift system has become imperative.
While theft and burglary generally take place during the night, traffic violations take place during the day. Cyber frauds are specific to cities and ‘murders for honour’ are resorted to mostly in rural pockets. Hence, we need to identify specific crimes (time, area, demography, topography and rural and urban-specific) and make policemen specialised in tackling them. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) need to be laid down to address such tasks.
The policemen need to be more people-friendly, having good etiquette and a pleasant and ever-willing-to-help disposition. Owing to the country’s diverse demographic and cultural parameters, adequate precaution needs to be taken to appreciate each citizen’s right to be treated equally.
What is needed today is zero tolerance for acts like custodial deaths, rape, misbehaviour, corruption and highhandedness while policemen deserve suitable rewards for exemplary acts of gallantry, public service, detection and investigation and winning the people’s hearts.
The writer is the Inspector-General of Police, CID, Haryana