India : Most police officers are unfit to serve is now an official position
A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission
February 24, 2014
AHRC-STM-035-2014
The report by the Director General of Police (DGP), Mr. K. S.
Balasubramanian, in the southern state of Kerala to the government,
that most of the police officers of the rank of Sub-Inspector of
Police are corrupt, inept to discharge their duties and are clinically
lazy, speaks volumes about the capacity of the state's police to serve
the people. So far, similar claims were sidelined as mere allegations
made by the civil society. The public perception that police officers
are criminals in uniform was dismissed as unverified and gross
misrepresentation of facts. Now that the head of the police in a state
has come to the same conclusion implies that the accusations so far
made by the civil society and the public perception, were not mere
assumptions, but hard fact.
The reported filed by the chief of police in Kerala, squarely applies
to the rest of the country, though similar revealing and honest
attempts are absent in rest of India. Given the total strength of
police officers in India is 1,585,353 the number of police officers
that are unfit to serve the country must be a disturbing news to any
responsible government.
That law-enforcement officers in India are grossly unfit to serve is
not news. What is shocking however is the neglectful approach that the
Union Government as well as the state governments have taken so far on
such a serious issue.
The former Home Minster of Kerala state, Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan,
once said that corruption among police constables in the state is
exceptionally high and that it is an issue to be immediately
addressed. He said so, during the graduation ceremony of police
constables in Kerala. Subsequent to this, the former DGP, Mr. Jacob
Punnose, filed an affidavit in the state high court that 605 police
officers are facing inquiries against alleged crimes they have
committed. The charges include that of corruption, murder, rape and
also torture and deaths in custody. Senior officers like the
Additional Director General of Police, Mr. S Pulikessi; Inspector
General, Mr. Tomin J Thachankary; and Deputy Inspector General, Mr. S.
Sreejith are also included in this infamous list.
In jurisdictions where law-enforcement agencies are considered vital
institutions that are foundational to a mature democratic society,
abrasions of law-enforcement officers are not tolerated. Discipline
and adherence to the rule of law, in every aspect of an officer's
private and public life are monitored and corrective actions, wherever
possible, made immediately. For instance, in Hong Kong, police
officers have strict limitations concerning even private debt an
officer could incur. If an officer is found to have accumulated
private debts, which are beyond an officer's capacity to repay, there
are procedures in place that could even end up in an officer losing
his or her job. Concerning allegations of indiscipline that have
resulted in charges of crime, the officer is immediately placed off
duty, the crimes investigated and the officer is prosecuted without
delay.
Such hard and fast positions are drawn-up for officers to strictly
adhere, due to the recognition governments give to the fundamental
fact that a law-enforcement officer is the first in line to defend the
rights and entitlements of a citizen. Police reforms that have taken
place in jurisdictions where law-enforcement officers are meticulously
expected to follow operational as well as legal mandates, that
considerably contributed to stamping out corruption in these
jurisdictions, have also improved the morale, capacity and the
preparedness of the law-enforcement agencies to deal with emergencies,
including prevention of crime. The Danish police is often voted by the
general public in that country as one of the best civil service
institutions in Denmark.
On the contrary, in countries like India, the government
intentionally keeps law-enforcement agencies as a corrupt, inept and
deeply demoralised institution. This is because those forming
governments prefer a demoralised law-enforcement agency that is
incapable and unwilling to discharge its duties as expected in a
democracy, since that alone is the guaranteed process by which the
privileged in countries like India could hold on to their priorities,
that are often based also on corruption and crimes.
Unfortunately in India, so far, the subject of police reforms has
taken a back seat, even within the police force. Due to lack of
internal support and isolation, efforts like those taken by Mr.
Prakash Singh finds minimal resonance within the force, and is ignored
and waylaid by immoral and criminal forces operating within the
establishment.
It is such appalling circumstances that leads to situations like what
that has been explained with ample proof in the DGP, Mr. K. S.
Balasubramanian's report to the government. It is the political
patronage that corruption receives across India that allows dubious
characters that the former DGP, Mr. Jacob Punnose, has named in his
affidavit to the court, to continue in service. It is the absence of
interest by the larger Indian civil society to address this
foundational problem of institution development that maintains the
country as an underperforming democracy.
About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional
non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia,
documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional
reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The
Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.
* This PR was sent to e-pao.net by AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission who can be contacted at http://www.humanrights.asia/
This Press Release was posted on February 24, 2014
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