Policing with the people
OVER the past decade or so, various concerns over policing practices, including police misconduct and death of persons while under police detention (Kugan Ananthan and Mohd Shamil Hafiz Shapiei among them), have been raised in public.
The solution to these issues would be simple and profound if democratic accountability in policing is implemented without any prejudice or discrimination.
Democratic accountability is an integral component of contemporary policing and must be practised in democratic societies.
Democratic accountability in policing implies that policing is supportive and respectful of human rights.
The protection of life and dignity of the individual is a priority for all police agencies in democratic societies. It also requires the police to make a special effort to protect the freedoms that are characteristic of a democracy, including freedom of speech, freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention, freedom of association, assembly and movement, and impartiality in the administration of law.
The nature of democratic accountability in policing calls for the skilful use of professional police discretion.
When the rakyat talk about democratic accountability in policing, more often than not it is after things have gone wrong. They refer to things like criminal prosecutions and lawsuits, coroner’s inquest and royal commissions.
Dashboard and body cameras are a form of hindsight accountability aimed at illustrating police misconduct. The problem that arises here is that the public is excluded from deciding what the policing practices and policies should be in the first place.
Policing practises change when the public’s voice is heard.
Most won’t deny that secrecy around policing is sometimes necessary, especially with ongoing high-risk and active investigations. We don’t want to disrupt or sabotage active ongoing investigations.
The issue here is the policing matters that should be publicly debated without jeopardising operational and investigative procedures.
The rakyat will insist that policing must be seen to be democratic.
An effective solution to democratic accountability in policing is direct engagement with the police. Simply blaming them without substantial facts will only lead to deterioration in the relationship.
Instead, we must give them the assurance and understanding that they can invite the public voice in safely without being blamed or insulted when there is disagreement.
The reality is policy makers are not expected to do everything the public demands. They are expected to listen to the public and actively engage with them on a regular basis.
Engagement between the police and public must be proactive. A reactive style of engagement only creates negative barriers and perception. It also distances the police from the public.
Policy makers and police leadership must change what they can and explain the choices they make so that their decisions can be fairly and justly evaluated by the public.
The will to implement democratic accountability in policing must come from policy makers and the police leadership.