Police leadership politicised, needs immediate overhaul
SAD STATE Camps exist among IPS officers who owe allegiance to one or the other political party. Politicians patronise weak and corrupt officers at the cost of public interest
openly alleging corruption against each other. than a third of Indian households who interacted with the police had to pay bribes to them. The survey by the Centre for Media Studies covered about 3,000 people in both rural and urban areas and 10 public services. The police was followed by land/housing (24%), judicial services (18%) and tax (15%) related services.
These police leaders not only lead state police organisations but also head central paramilitary forces. They man sensitive posts at all levels in our premier investigative and intelligence-gathering agencies. The officers deputed to these organisations are supposed to be of unimpeachable integrity. especially the Central Reserve Police Force, is directly due to uninspiring leadership of these IPS officers interested in self-aggrandisement. The champions of police reforms focus only on peripheral aspects of security of tenure and ways to reduce political interference. Those are important and must be enforced.
However, it’s important to evolve a selection system that includes assessment of aptitude of a person for policing. It is also a ripe time to review the British legacy about selection of IPS officers directly from the market, especially adopted for colonies and instead adopt a methodology prevalent in Great Britain itself and in several countries where a police officer rises from the ranks. This has advantage as the person rising through the hierarchy has requisite experience and insight of the expectations from the police.
The training curriculum of IPS officers needs to be reviewed thoroughly to ensure they become good leaders instead of managers.
Investigation, law and order, intelligence, border security, and anti-militancy or anti-insurgency are different dimensions of the security system.
But in India they have all been clubbed under the broad head, policing. This is a serious compromise with the efficiency of these important functions involving the security of the nation.
There is an urgent need to overhaul the IPS as indeed is the need to have a fresh look at the manner in which our bureaucracy is recruited. sks_2@rediffmail.com