Image for representation only. FileFormer chiefs of Kerala Police react to a series of police atrocities that have put the force in a bad light. They come up with more than the usual suspects.
Keep them in public glare: P K Hormis Tharakan
Vechoochira additional sub inspector Noushad was called in to settle a dispute over the burying of a dead body. The officer returned only after offering to build a tomb for the 85-year-old deceased.
T N Sudarshanan, a civil police officer at the Pulikkeezhu station, paid Rs 8,000 from his own pocket to cremate an unknown man who was found dead by the pavement.
The two recent reports proved the policemen’s concern for the dead but we have to admit that the force was not as kind to the living.
Custodial deaths have always been a headache to the police. A circular I drafted for the then director general of police in 2001 was a comprehensive guideline on the measures to be taken to avoid custodial deaths.
Though there were no custodial deaths reported in Kerala since 1996, there have been instances of the accused succumbing after they were released from police and judicial custody, the circular had pointed out. It was a large circular that stressed on the Supreme Court directives of 1997 and laid out the safeguards against custodial deaths.
Jana Maithri police and student police cadets do make the Kerala police popular. However, the policemen who appear lax and smug in public places dent the image of the force. Officers who appear vigilant in public places and talk with courtesy earn the public’s respect.
The state government and the leadership of the police have to strive hard to enforce the provisions of the Kerala Police Act of 2011. The public and the media have to check if the state safety commission is discharging its duties to issue guidelines to the police and evaluate its functioning. They have to monitor if the state and district police chiefs are allowed to serve their terms duly or if they are being transferred unnecessarily.
The public vigilance will help the police serve them better.
Draw a line between cops and goons: Jacob Punnoose
The Kerala police have to know that their job is not to beat up the people.
Though there is nothing essentially wrong with the police, a few bad apples are indulging in illegal affairs. They seem to think that their job is to treat the people with an iron hand.
They think the police are not supposed to be friendly with the people. They want the common man to pee in his pants when faced with the police. This kind of thinking leads to a group of cops in plain clothes barging into a house in the middle of the night to nab someone.
The police have to act in accordance with the law. We can rely on goons to work against the law. The force has gone through tremendous changes in the last 50 years but some people refuse to acknowledge those changes.
Custodial torture is not part of police policy. We have to drill the idea in every training session. Every policemen should be given basic training on courteous behaviour in the police academy.
We need a force that works under the law. Every lock-ups should be fitted with functioning cameras. The senior officers should be able to watch the lock-ups from their offices. Even minor violations should be punished severely.
Bring back order and discipline: T P Senkumar
The Kerala police is plagued by a lax leadership. The police chief cannot even ensure the obedience of the additional director general of the headquarters. The AIG will only act if he receives his instructions from the chief minister’s office.
The politicization of the police has been a misfortune. Seniors have no control over their subordinates. Officers display their political loyalty by nabbing people who have nothing to do with a case. Good officers prefer to remain silent.
Overwork is another reason for bad behaviour. The force has people with criminal minds. Policemen are well aware of the atrocities committed under the watch of current advisers of the police and those who go around giving sermons. How can anyone expect them to pay heed to the advices.
We have to do away with these advisers and restore the authority of the state police chief. The director general of police should have full control of the state headquarters. If a cop works for 12 hours, his superior should work for 16 hours to be a model.
How can anyone take seriously a superior with 15 wives giving sermons on monogamy? Nobody knows what the special branch officers are up to these days.
When I was at the top of the force, I had issued a circular (No. 16/2017) to lay out clear guidelines on officers’ transfer. No officer, including a sub inspector, circle inspector or a deputy superintendent of police, were to be transferred before they completed two years in a posting without citing sufficient grounds. Any early transfer had to be informed to the police establishment board with reasons. The provision is not being adhered to.
Transfers should be governed by Supreme Court rulings and the Kerala Police Act.
