TERROR AND POLICE REFORMS
The Bombay events must be the rarest of rare occasions in the history of policing in this country when the police received more bouquets than brickbats following their handling of a major incident of violence. There appears to be an unprecedented outpouring of grief and sympathy for the families of slain police personnel and an understanding of the difficult conditions under which the police function.
It is not the first time the police personnel have been killed by terrorists or other criminals In fact a large number of police personnel lose their lives in line of duty every year in this country. According to data compiled by the Intelligence Bureau, policing took a toll of as many as 21,428 lives of police personnel during the period 1961-62 to 1999-2000. During a nine-year period i.e. 1991-92 to 1999-2000, as many as 9389 police personnel lost their lives and during the present decade, 6898 police personnel have died in line of duty. This is a very heavy toll. No police force anywhere in the world has lost so many of its personnel in line of duty as the Indian Police have done. Even in the United States of America, where the violence levels during police-citizen encounters are quite high, the number of police casualties in line of duty has not been that high. According to the FBI’s Law Enforcement Bulletin, the total number of law enforcement officers feloniously killed in line of duty during the seventies in that country was 1,143 officers. The number slain during the eighties was only 801 and the number during the second half of the last decade (1996-2000) was 845. Ireland was one of the most violent spots in Europe during the period till the Good Friday agreement was signed. However, only 302 Royal Armed Constabulary officers and men lost their lives over the 30 year period. In Britain, till the eighties, only 220 police officers were reported to have been killed in line of duty since the Metropolitan Police Force was founded in 1829.
Unfortunately, the sacrifices made by police personnel while performing their duty have not received adequate recognition in this country. Poor image of the police of course has been an important reason for this, but this time it has been somewhat different. The touch of cold terror felt by the citizens on the streets of Bombay and the initial brunt of that terror faced by a highly ill equipped police force have led to a clamour for change. The public need and demand better security, which can be provided to them only by a police force that is much better than what it is at present. This therefore is an occasion when police reform becomes too important to neglect and too urgent to delay.
The question is- what type of reforms? The Government is yet to come out with a full answer, but the broad contours of the scheme that the government has in mind are visible from what the Home Minister P Chidambaram said in the Lok Sabha debate on terror on December 11, 2008. The establishment of a national investigating agency, the enactment of an anti terror law with stringent provisions, creation of regional NSG hubs, strengthening of intelligence network, setting up of counter insurgency and anti terrorism training schools and modernization of the police forces are some of the main features of the government’s scheme. New agencies and programmes are welcome, but the central and state governments need to remember that there is a huge existing police force waiting to be reformed. Its time it was realized it would not be possible for the police forces to deal with such incidents in future unless the police are depoliticised. The existing stranglehold that politicians have over the police must be loosened. In the debate on terror in the Lok Sabha on November 11, 2008, one of the most important points was made by the young MP Rahul Gandhi when he asked the MPs and MLAs to stop politicization of police: "As a young politician I would like to say that in the interest of the country we must desist from it. Also, that in the interest of common people we must stop interfering in the working of these institutions.” I would like to add that this is so even in the interests of politicians. A professionally efficient and an honest police force can give far better returns in terms of winning public support for the political party in power than a force, which is misused for selfish purposes.
Fighting terrorism requires a police force that is foundationally strong to function in an efficient and effective but also unbiased manner. This functioning has to be seen not only when they are dealing with emergencies but also when they are doing normal policing. Following an incident of terrorist violence, the governments must guard against the risk of normal day to day policing getting distorted or becoming a casualty altogether. In the fury of frustration that has followed the Bombay incidents, it is easy to forget that more than the specialized armed police it is the local thana and other civil police units that need to be professionalised. There is an impression amongst many that winning the war against terror requires a tough warrior cop’s policing approach. One may require that occasionally, but a sustained war against terror requires the development of a police force that is well organised, well controlled, well led, well equipped and well trained- a force that is friendly, sensitive and impartially fair, but firm.
