Overcoming Policing Challenges | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Introduction

• During the 57th All-India Conference of Director Generals & Inspector Generals of Police, Prime Minister Modi emphasized the importance of making police forces more sensitive and training them in emerging technologies. He suggested repealing obsolete criminal laws, setting standards for police organizations across states, and implementing prison reforms to improve jail management.
• Additionally, he discussed the need to strengthen border and coastal security by organizing frequent visits of officials. The Prime Minister also highlighted the significance of the National Data Governance Framework in facilitating smooth data exchange across agencies.

The Role of Police Forces in India

• Under the Indian Constitution, police forces are managed by states, resulting in each of the 29 states having their own police forces. Additionally, the central government maintains its own police forces to support the states in maintaining law and order.
• These include seven central police forces and other specialized police organizations responsible for tasks such as intelligence gathering, investigation, research, record-keeping, and training. The primary responsibilities of police forces include upholding and enforcing laws, investigating crimes, and ensuring the safety and security of people in the country.

Challenges Faced by India's Police Force

• Understaffing and Overburdened Workforce: India's sanctioned strength of police officers is 181 per lakh people, which is lower than the UN's recommended standard of 222 officers per lakh people. This results in an overburdened workforce, with each officer having to handle a massive workload and work extended hours. Understaffing reduces the efficiency and effectiveness of the police force, leading to poor investigation quality.
• Outdated Infrastructure: According to audits by the CAG and BPRD, lower-level police forces in India use obsolete weapons that cannot match the modern weaponry used by anti-social elements. The purchase process for firearms is lengthy, resulting in a scarcity of arms and ammunition, and police vehicles are in limited supply. The POLNET project launched by the central government in 2002 to improve communication among police and paramilitary forces is non-operative in some states.
• Misuse of Political Power: In India, ministers have the power of superintendence and control over the police forces to ensure their accountability, but this power has been misused in the past for personal and political reasons.
• Inadequate Crime Investigation: Crime rates in India have increased by 28% over the past decade, but the police lack necessary training and expertise for professional investigations. They also have weak forensic and cyberinfrastructure, lack legal understanding on issues such as evidence admission, and face several vacancies, leading to a reduction in the quality of crime investigations and low conviction rates.
• Influence of Political Power on Police Priorities: Political leaders frequently request changes in police priorities, which obstructs the ability of police officers to make professional decisions, such as how to respond to law and order situations or conduct investigations. This leads to biased performance of tasks and a lack of accountability of the police, as they are influenced by political ideologies.
• Budgetary Constraints: While state police forces are responsible for maintaining law and order and investigating crimes, central forces assist them with intelligence and internal security challenges, such as insurgencies. However, expenditure on the police force accounts for only about 3% of the central and state government budgets.
• Police-Public Relationship: According to the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, there is an unsatisfactory relationship between the police and the public. The public perceives the police as corrupt, inefficient, politically biased, and unresponsive. There is also a widespread belief that police personnel abuse their power. As a result, the crucial relationship between the police and the public is severely lacking in confidence, which hinders effective policing.

• Constabulary-related Issues: The Second Administrative Reforms Commission has observed that the promotion opportunities and working conditions of constables in India are poor and require improvement. Typically, a constable can expect only one promotion in their lifetime and retires as a head constable, which diminishes their motivation to perform well. This system stands in contrast to the United Kingdom, where police officers generally begin as constables and progress through each rank in order.

• Outdated Police Act 1861: The Police Act 1861, along with other state-specific laws, does not establish a responsible and accountable police force. The government and Supreme Court have recognized multiple proposals for reform, but implementation has been lacking. Policing is a state subject, but most states have not implemented reforms and have continued to follow the 1861 Act, which gives political power over the police. The Act has several deficiencies, including making police officers subservient to those in power and not recognizing the role of the police in upholding human rights. State Police Complaints Authorities (SPCAs) have been ineffective in establishing external accountability due to being overburdened and lacking power to monitor departmental inquiries or set strict time limits.

• Issues with Constabulary: The Second Administrative Reforms Commission found that constables' promotion opportunities and working conditions are poor and need improvement. In India, constables generally only receive one promotion and retire as head constables, whereas in the United Kingdom, police officers progress through each rank.

• Inadequate Operational Efficiency: The majority of the police force in India consists of constables who lack the necessary operational efficiency for effective policing. Their tasks typically involve decision-making and judgment, but they are not adequately equipped for these duties. Suggestions have been made to modify the recruitment policies and administration governing constables to address this issue.

• Criminal Nexus between Politicians and Police: There has been a persistent trend of politicians exerting their dominance and abusing power over the police force. In the current scenario, the executive controls the regime of police, while the state police are dominated by state action. Special police forces, such as CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB, are controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, creating a bias against police personnel's obedience towards their respective duties.

• Heavy Workload and Overburdened System: Due to the shortage of police personnel in India, the workload of the existing police force is very high, leading to long working hours and unsatisfactory working conditions.

• Viable Policy and Public Relations: It is essential for the police to have a good relationship with the public they serve to effectively combat crime. A positive relationship with the public helps the police in maintaining law and order, solving crimes and carrying out their duties.

• Inadequate Resources: Reports from the Bureau of Police Research and Development indicate a shortage of weapons, police vehicles, and underutilization of funds for modernization. Although both the central and state governments allocate funds for modernization, the problem arises with their effective utilization. Shortage of police vehicles and outdated weapons reduce the effectiveness of police response time. Obtaining arms and ammunition is also a time-consuming process.