There can be no good governance without good policing
The article titled 'Police corruption and Police supervision' by Rtd. SSP Tassie Seneviratne (TS) in the Sunday Times of July 12 has drawn my attention to a timely topic.
TS nostalgically harps on the good old days laying out some tried and tested methods and adding some interesting anecdotes that reveal what the Police Service had been. He has shown genuine concern about the deterioration of the Police Service.
In today's context, one has to keep in mind the increase by leaps and bounds in population, speed of people movement, needs of the people and communication which is as fast as light. Vice and crime have kept pace with these developments and the police task is overwhelming. We, therefore, have to think of modern solutions, too, without forgetting the tried and tested basics.
Even the prolific bribe takers, the traffic police, according to public perception, are said to be resorting to delusive methods using modern banking facilities such as mobile banking and e-banking to collect bribes. Soon bribe takers will be carrying mobile ATM machines. Those involved in big- time financial frauds but not falling within public perception adopt evasive methods to cover up tracks, both in receiving and investing the money. How to catch up on these will not be discussed here for obvious reasons.
As for policing, policing with community participation is the accepted form in all developed democracies. Community-oriented policing is undeniably the desired form of policing for Sri Lanka too.
Thirty years of militarisation has taken away much that was good in the Police Service. Hence de-militarisation of the police is a must. The first obstacle for this will be politicians who want to use the police as their private army. The next will be the present lot of police officers themselves, who have learnt nothing else and will find the military approach easier, but with time and good governance, they will learn.
Evolving the correct type of policing is not the problem that Sri Lanka is faced with. What is lacking is the political will to introduce good policing as desired by the people. Politicians would prefer to continue using the police as an instrument to strike fear into the people. The top brass of the police today are ' yes men' who prefer to toe the line with politicians in power for their own survival. It is, therefore, a waste of time and energy advising the police top brass or the political authorities. Taking advice from retired police chiefs — as commended by TS to the IGP — is ironical as most of them too were 'yes men' when they were in the saddle.
Now that ' people-power for good governance' is the order of the day, it is good timing for the people to incorporate the desired police reforms into the 'good governance' demand. After all, there cannot be good governance without good policing.
(The writer is a Retired DIG who as SI and IP served as OIC Police Stations in all parts of the country ; as ASP and SP in the STF and President's security; Commandant Home Guards; and in charge of police Divisions; and as DIG in several commands)