Police Reforms
The significance and necessity of police reforms:
- In India, there are 120 police officers for every 100,000 people, compared to 270 elsewhere in the world. Due to a lack of police and inadequate tools, which are typically used to protect politicians, India’s people is the least protected in the world.
- Corruption: The vigilance service looked into its men 55% more in 2016 than it did in 2015. A poll conducted by the Delhi Police found that only 34% of police officers were dishonest in 2015, down from 66% in 2014.
- The changing nature of crime The internet and contemporary social media have sped up current social and technological advancement, leading to horrible international terrorism and previously unheard-of levels of chaos. These changes have had an impact on crime, altering its nature, scope, and pace.
- police corruption The public’s faith in the police has declined as a result of the absence of trustworthy accountability measures and consistent performance reviews. The finest example of the public’s suspicion of the police is the most recent mob assault on law enforcement personnel.
- inadequate technology resources One of the factors contributing to India’s low conviction rate is the calibre of the police investigation. Police do not have access to the cutting-edge digital technologies needed for in-depth investigations.
- Since women and persons from poor backgrounds are underrepresented, they lack empathy. Caste tensions, particularly the most recent Dalit revolt, and agricultural problems are being blamed for an increase in violence across the country.
- One of a police officer’s primary duties is upholding law and order, but they also manage traffic, provide disaster relief, and clear encroachments. This means that they are overworked. Due to these additional responsibilities, the police force is overworked, which has an adverse effect on their output and productivity.
Moving ahead:
- The criminal justice system and the institutions at the local level of law enforcement urgently need to be modernised in order to give the police force the investigative resources and emergency response infrastructure needed to manage today’s and tomorrow’s concerns.
- focusing on authorities at lesser levels Lower-level police officers can perform better if they have better perks, pay, and training, as well as if a system is put in place that encourages initiative and good behaviour rather than bad behaviour.
- Independent Complaints Authority: Claims of police misconduct must be investigated by a different complaints authority. To better investigate crimes, states should establish specialised investigation units inside their police forces.
- Police officers need more training on gender equality. In the police, women should be allowed a 33% reserve.
- To respond to the need for police reform, more political traction is needed. The two states that have taken action to speed up the process are Telangana and Kerala.
- The primary responsibilities of state police units on a local level are law enforcement, investigation, and crime prevention. To ensure swift justice, police departments must use contemporary techniques like forensics and data analysis, among others.
