The state government has been drawing a lot of flak for its handling of the police. The Pinarayi Vijayan government, in its second term now, is seeing a ricochet of a policy that it implemented in its previous reign. The changes, widely known as police station reforms, were piloted by the then state police chief (SPC) Loknath Behera. Under this, the role of station house officer (SHO) or station in-charge was assigned to circle inspectors instead of sub-inspectors.
This change was brought about as per the recommendations of the Justice K.T. Thomas Commission. Most states limited the implementation of the new SHO norm to stations with high caseload. In Kerala, all stations were handed over to circle inspectors; thereby causing a virtual work paralysis at the lower levels of the force.
Direct impact
As circle inspectors became SHOs and started handling police station duties, the new recruits who joined as sub-inspectors had nothing much to do in terms of station duty. This was a shift from the earlier pattern where the entire station operation centered around the 'young' sub-inspector. Also, sub-inspectors, who were often new to the force, would enthusiastically take up everything from law-and-order duties to investigation. The younger crop of officers would also be eager to prove their capability, thereby ensuring effective policing. Those in the know point out that the sub-inspectors are reluctant to act after the reforms as the decisions should come from their superior, the circle inspector.
Unmanageable workload
The circle inspectors were earlier in charge of two police stations, each independently handled by a sub-inspector. The practice was that the circle inspector would supervise the sub-inspectors under him and intervene if there were major crimes or law-and-order issues. Now, the circle inspectors have hardly any time to deal with law-and-order issues as station duty management in itself is a huge task. The diminished focus on law and order caused an upsurge in subversive activities, sources say. On their part, the circle officers also largely do not want to get embroiled in any issues. Sources say most officers would want to stay away from any trouble and be in a place of posting for at least three years. They would also not want to create any blots and impede their chances of promotion.
As the supervising officers adopted a 'cold start' policy, the lower ranks also followed suit. In this scheme of things, even any direct affront to the police is often ignored. A menacing goon who challenges the police could be ignored; something unimaginable if the station was managed by a 'young' sub-inspector who would not tolerate any slighting of the force or the uniform he or she dons.
Old-timers say the 'active sub-inspector' concept of the past, where the local goons would shudder at the thought of getting caught, is long gone. There is a general demand to retain circle inspectors at larger stations and put sub-inspectors in charge of smaller ones.
Ruling party's headache, too
The issues facing the Kerala Police, ranked high among states, hogged headlines and was often the focal point of public discussion. The issue also came up for discussion at the forums of the ruling CPI(M). The party's committees, right from the branch to district levels, were rife with debates and discussions on the issues facing the police. The party could not turn a blind eye as functionaries raised the general ineffectiveness of the force and its inability to handle the flailing law-and-order situation. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also handles the Home portfolio, exhorted party leaders to not interfere in policing. He told them in no uncertain terms to desist from making calls to police stations to place various demands.
The essence of the Chief Minister's directive was that the police should be allowed to function without party interference and within the bounds of the law of the land. The criticism for the CM's diktat came from within as leaders and the ranks said the police were on a free rein and that was partially empowering subversive elements, goons, and anti-social elements.
At least some senior officers believe that the CM and the party leadership should take into account the suggestions from within the party and reinstate the old systems in the force.
.jpg.transform/576x300/image.jpg "The recoil of Behera's police reforms can hit Pinarayi government hard")
Some good news
In the New Year, retired police officers will get an opportunity to don their uniforms yet again. The plan is to appoint retired officers on contract to train student police cadets (SPCs). The proposal which came up at a meeting of senior police officers awaits the nod of the Home Department. The proposal, if implemented, would take the load off police officers who are already burdened with the workload of police stations.
Janamaitri police
The Janamaitri policing scheme started in Kerala in 2008 and got the mandate of law in 2011. The Janamaitri policing was founded on the principle of taking the services of police to the people. This was especially intended to serve the indigent sections of society who were often reluctant to approach the police on the presumption that justice would be denied to them. An oft-cited example was the detachment of tribal communities from the police and the support they extended to Maoists. An intelligence doctrine also seemed to work well here. The closer the police get to various sections of society, there is a perceptible improvement in intelligence gathering. The intelligence inputs often comprised the activities of drug peddlers to movement of Maoists.
The critics of the programme say Janamaitri policing diluted the core functions of the police like law-and-order maintenance and investigation. They say the police started dabbling in too many projects like Hope (intended to help weak students) and building of houses for the poor.
The advocates for the project say the archaic methods of policing should change and Janamaitri is a turnkey project in that respect. The police say they could document the details of over 40 lakh families after the Janamaitri scheme was implemented. This could be used for effective policing, if need be. The proponents of the scheme say it is time to change the society from within and there is no better way than moving closer to the people. Sources say the collection of details would continue and the exercise would be undertaken in all police stations.
Additional personnel
The police have sent a proposal to the Home Department seeking an additional 500 personnel so that the increased workload due to Janamaitri policing could be handled. As of now, there are 758 personnel allotted for Janamaitri. There is a proposal to effectively use Janamaitri for intelligence gathering in the merging scenario.
