Rationale for better-paid police
CONCERNED citizens have, of late, heard a great deal on the imperatives of a modern police outfit to ensure good governance thereby strengthening the democratic foundation of our polity. 'The Daily Star' has editorially implored the present caretaker government to give effect to the much needed reform by enacting the necessary legislation under its watch. It has explicitly expressed the apprehension that the task should not be left to the political government who may not accord the desired priority to the matter that it rightfully deserves.
'The Daily Star' has also very appropriately pointed out that the expenditures on policing should be deemed as investment. This is a very pertinent observation because even as they are yoked to a highly unjustified cartload of duties, most policemen in our place have been equated with unskilled workers and the salary they get is hardly commensurate with their job demands. They are often denied even basic amenities like housing, sanitation etc, and this leads to frustration.
There is no denying that the demands on the police have grown over the years. Fancied public expectations and frustrations over unsatisfactory performance by other civic agencies have further added to the workload. In such a scenario, the stresses accumulate and, only operating over a period of time, bring about irreversible changes in the policeman's outlook.
The reality as of now is that the reactive and aggressive postures of policemen have not undergone any change for the better but equally true perhaps is the fact that the pay and emoluments of the policemen have not experienced meaningful increase for the over-all good of the society. However, significant change has been felt elsewhere, particularly in the rising expectations of the general population. In an independent polity, the policemen are expected to be respectful towards the democratic values. They have to behave gently and be sensitive and compassionate to the women and children. The important question is whether the currently approved pay and allowances contribute to the inculcation of the right attitude on the part of our policemen in our democratic society.
It has to be borne in mind that when a policeman is appointed he is entrusted with powers which may gravely affect the liberty of other people and therefore, he must at all times be ready to act with tact, caution, discretion and on his own initiative and responsibility in different contingencies. The burden of individual discretion and responsibility placed upon a constable is much greater than that of any other public servant of subordinate rank.
The policeman stands in a special relationship to the community. He claims to be and is the principal agent in the prevention and detection of crime of all kinds and generally holds a position of trust. This trust has to be maintained. Therefore, it is considered essential that the sense of obligation to the public should be preserved in the police at all costs. These considerations are fundamental to the status of the police and the pay they should receive. The report of the police post-war committee of the UK, 1949 observed that they were "satisfied that a policeman has responsibilities and obligations which are peculiar to his calling and distinguish him from other public servants and municipal employees." The same committee considered the police "entitled thereby to special consideration in regard to their rate of pay and pensions."
There is a feeling that in the past due consideration was not shown to policemen, particularly the lowest rank (constable) with regard to his pay vis-a-vis equivalent position in other services. Despite the fact that the constabulary forms the cutting edge of our police administration and is the foundation and base of the entire police structure (nearly 75% of the total force) the constable has always been accorded a relatively low status in public service in terms of pay and otherwise.
The undeniable fact, however, is that in the past as always the constables have displayed utmost loyalty and dedication to the call of duty even in the most trying conditions. While there is no rational basis for comparing the services rendered by equivalent positions in other government departments, the ground reality is that the constables continue to be equated with the unskilled labour in our national pay structure and also in people's mind.
Section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code, amongst others, says, "Any police officer (constable inclusive) may, without an order from a Magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person who has been concerned in any cognizable offence or against whom a reasonable complaint has been made or credible information has been received or a reasonable suspicion exists of his having been so concerned." A constable is not empowered to investigate offences but being a police officer he can make an arrest without warrant as mentioned above. He can also make an arrest without warrant under section 34 of the Police Act 1861, when any of the offences specified therein is committed within his view.
If we do not want inefficient and irresponsible policemen with sloppy and slovenly manners then it is high time that their rates of pay record manifold increase to attract the appropriate personnel. What we need is a trim and skilled force as distinct from the present ad-hoc labour-intensive approach. We may not require more personnel but we definitely need better service conditions made possible through large injection of fund for pay and allowances. While pay is not the exclusive determinant of honesty and efficiency, it is a primary contributor towards the attainment of such qualities.
It has to be remembered that the daily rigours of service throughout the year takes its toll and we have to be cognizant of that in order for our constable to be humane and respectful towards the human rights of others. It is necessary to ensure a decent living for him so that he does not stoop low and performs his duties with a high head and in an upright manner. The life style of majority of our policemen is like that of the ordinary folks of the country. They deserve a better deal at the earliest.
Let us remember that of all the public services, the police alone can exercise direct influence on the individual citizen. The police have been given discretion in order that they can be effective and responsive to the needs of the public. Their role calls upon them to make quick, perceptive judgments in the thick of conflict and in the glare of public scrutiny and errors of judgment on their part can cause irreparable harm. Law enforcement involves constant interaction with human beings. Human nature itself is very complex and has no set pattern. Policing in modern society, therefore, calls for a deep insight into human behaviour and pragmatic approach.
While it is the bounden responsibility of supervisory police leaders to make a conscious endeavour towards bringing about the much-needed attitudinal changes in the police force, the need for creating an overall environment in which policemen can perform their legal duties with a sense of pride and fulfilment without feeling hamstrung either on account of legal hurdles or due to administrative and financial problems, can hardly be over-emphasized.
It needs to be impressed that only when policing and police are elevated to a pedestal of well-deserved priority in the government's scheme of things and the necessary training and orientation is imparted to the rank and file of police forces, that aberrations in police behaviour can be progressively lessened and the police image in public perception will change sooner or later for the better. The colonial expectation of policemen living on ground for their livelihood has to be totally forsaken.
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