India’s Law and Order Matrix Needs a Reboot
Context:
- Unlike past years, when a number of themes covered at the biennial All India Conference of Directors General/Inspectors General of Police made headlines. As a result, there was some disagreement about how some matters, notably those pertaining to the border, were handled, but not much else.
Deeper conversation suffers:
- Due to the large number of themes being covered at recent conferences and the participation of an increasing number of delegates to cover the multiple topics, there is little place for in-depth discussion.
- In-depth discussions on cutting-edge policing concerns like cybercrime, the dark web, crypto, maritime security, the threat from drones, as well as problems brought on by an unchecked social media, are desperately needed. The security risks of today are global in scope.
- Along with counterterrorism, drug trafficking, border security, and left-wing extremism are some of them. When there is not enough time to adequately explore these issues, the quality of the arguments and possible conclusions frequently suffers.
- Even while we might not be at the beginning of time right now, the shifting security landscape is causing a number of internal and external problems. The twenty-first century will see a sharp rise in the occurrence of security-related problems. However, it is already evident that, in order to address the concerns brought on by rapid technological change and the emergence of data war fighting, the coming issues would call for a demonstration of newer cognitive abilities as well as higher inventiveness and agility. As a result, in these circumstances, decision-making must go through fundamental changes that require more focused discussion at higher levels.
- In this case, law and order management would be a good place to start. This issue might appear irrelevant in a society where technology is king. However, it currently necessitates a set of more contemporary skills in crowd management and technology, both of which are in limited supply within the security industry.
- As a result of the majority of the country’s security agencies concentrating their attention largely on persistent threats like terrorism, law and order management has suffered. A new set of skills and natural talents beyond merely technology are required to deal with the irate and frequently disruptive mobs of today.
- A domineering attitude typically makes things worse rather than better. Any method of this nature only widens the gap between the public and law enforcement at a time when newer tactics and skills are required.
- It follows that much more is obviously required than simply restating the notion that technology, in particular artificial intelligence, can provide solutions to a range of present difficulties. The ability to read the psychology of enraged mobs and persuade them to recognise the dangers in their own proclivities before things get out of hand requires practise. This requires greater concentration.
- Therefore, it is essential to provide police and security organisations with the necessary skills, and to do so, they must undergo adequate training. A top-down strategy would be required since there would be fierce rivalry for resources inside the agencies for other things like advancements in technology and armament. It would be considerably more important to ensure approval of any such move’s utilitarian components.
Pay attention to aptitudes and choice:
- Additionally, a full overhaul of the hiring process for security agencies, particularly the police, will be required. The twenty-first century is turning out to be extremely different from the twentieth, therefore selecting the people who will work for security agencies requires more thought than has hitherto been given to this duty.
- The majority of the debate over this topic has occurred outside the police agencies rather than within them, and senior officers within the forces haven’t given it much thought. The police must be a reflection of the society in which we currently reside and capable of defending against modern threats.
- The latter routinely monitor shifting conditions using a variety of techniques and skills as well as widespread iconography, especially on social media and Twitter. This indicates that the police and security forces must develop new skills as well as a new way of thinking that acknowledges when employing force isn’t always the best course of action.
- In a world where the Internet, social media, and other innovations frequently give protesters and agitators the upper hand and frequently undermine law and order, security organisations’ human resources must now be suitably qualified.
- The importance of “Open Source Intelligence” (OSINT), which security organisations typically disregard, has increased as a result. In many law and order situations today, the efficient deployment of OSINT may very well be the determining factor. Currently, there is a big gap between what is needed and the best approach to apply knowledge from open sources.
- In addition to the already disorganised mix of events, crises, and situations, another problem is the existence of various security organisations, including intelligence and investigative agencies. These organisations infrequently function with an unified aim. They usually choose inconsistent techniques and procedures due to their divergent approaches. Although the development of specialised agencies for special needs was anticipated to result from the expansion of agencies, this has not happened. They typically don’t lighten the load on particular authorities; instead, they frequently make thorough analysis and inquiry more difficult.
- As a result, it is clear that there is a pressing need to consider how to modify intelligence gathering procedures, investigation techniques, actual conditions, etc., as well as how to enhance the security discourse in relation to the variety and types of threats. Conventional wisdom holds that an apex level assembly of DGPs/IGPs would offer the necessary direction and policy imperatives.
- The truth is that a broad scope, both in terms of the topics discussed and the number of attendees, tends to degrade the quality of the conversation, even among serious professionals. Meaningful talks cannot occur when the scale of the conference precludes in-depth, unfiltered conversation even in a formal environment. In this situation, like in many other parts of life, small is beautiful.
Conclusion:
- Simply put, there is a case to be made for splitting the annual conference of DGPs/IGPs into two separate conferences — a higher level conference of DGPs/IGPs to discuss policy related issues, and a separate conference to be held of intelligence and security specialists (IGs/CID) to discuss the finer points of methodology, techniques, and acquisition of new skills for current and future problems. Then, the findings would be more applicable to current and future security requirements.
