Plea to
set-up State Security Commission
Governor
asks Police to combat cyber, narco terrorism; discourages
with politicians
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU,
Dec 1: Opposing
strongly the politicization of police in several states,
the Governor Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Girish Chander Saxena
said that it has adverse impact on the image and
performance of police which is expected to always act in
a fair, lawful and non-partisan manner.
Delivering the inaugural
address at the 31st All India Police Science Congress
here today the Governor said that politicization of
police force has led to weakening of the control and
command structure in the police force. This is something
that the political executive should worry about as
without the essential level of discipline and proper
functioning of the chain of command, both the performance
and effectiveness of police as a whole are seriously
undermined.
Coupled with this aspect
is the necessity of keeping officers assigned to various
posts for the full duration of their tenure unless there
are compelling reasons to deviate from that rule. In any
case, officers holding key posts should not be shifted
frequently as it has a dislocating impact and also makes
it difficult to hold individual officers accountable for
the situation and results in their jurisdiction.
He said, "this
politicization and nexus can only be broken if the top
political leadership cutting across the Party lines and
the senior Civil servants and police officers display the
desired will and commitment to reverse these trends and
help enforce the rule of law." It is being
increasingly noticed that apart from the unemployed
youth, there is class of people including the spoiled
sons of the rich and the powerful persons who consider
themselves to be beyond the reach of law and indulge in
criminal and anti-social activities.
With the fast growing
computer technology and coming of the Internet, new types
of crimes are threatening to increase. The technological
advances in this field would besides resulting in more
complex forms of economic offences and white-collar
crime, give rise to increasing problems of " Cyber
Crime" and " Cyber-Terrorism".
The threat posed by "
Cyber-Crime" and use of nuclear and chemical warfare
material by the criminals in the coming years can only be
combated successfully through much better coordination
within the country as well as effective international
cooperation. The police work is not only a professional
art and a specialised service but is increasingly
becoming a science. Old and somewhat outdated methods are
out of tune with current times and no longer yield the
desired results. Such methods attract police criticism
from people, the media and the courts and therefore, mar
the image and credibility of police, he added.
The system of policing
introduced by the British was not conceived as an
instrument of service to the people in general and was
not focused on ensuring a fair and just rule of law. It
was conceived more as a force to serve the interests and
ends of an alien rule. It is unfortunate that the Police
in India is still regulated and governed by the Police
Act of 1861. Although measures have been taken off and
on, mostly on ad hoc basis, to increase the strength and
capabilities of police, there have been a few basic
reforms to improve the organisation and administration of
the police.
Referring to the threat of
insurgency, the Governor said regional and secessionist
insurgencies and ethnic conflicts linger on in several
states like North-East while Jammu and Kashmir is facing
a situation of proxy war and large scale cross-border
terrorism. The Punjab is confronted with fresh attempts
by internally backed extremists to revive terrorism which
had taken a beating from the police and the people
earlier. Much of the control of the militant movement has
gone into the hands of foreign aided militants but there
are seizable number of Afganis. The local militants are
now playing subsidiary and subordinate role through
various militant outfits.
He said the priority areas
in the security effort have to be a much tighter border
control to check infiltration, use of commando type
special operations and upgrading of surveillance and
intelligence effort. He said Kashmir reflects the
composite culture and ethos of the whole of India. What
happens in our state will have implications for and
fallout on the rest of the country.
Expressing his concern
over the mal-practices, he said the growing menace of
corruption which instead of getting checked appears to
have spread its tentacles among larger sections of our
people in various walks of life. Of more serious concern
is the high degree of corruption in the ranks of
politicians, bureaucracy and police.
Organised crime is also
acquiring sinister proportions and inter-state or even
international dimensions. Mafia dons and members of their
gangs as also international, fundamentalist and
narco-terrorists now have sophisticated arms and
equipment like latest communication system and cellular
and satellite phones, which is very disturbing
phenomenon.
It is very serious to
observe that the criminal administration and the present
judicial system, of which police is an essential
component, has come under very heavy strain and is almost
threatening to break down in the foreseeable future if
effective remedial measures are not taken urgently. The
delays in disposal of cases in courts and the long
tendency of cases are posing a formidable problem and
shaking the confidence of the public in the whole
administration of justice.
As far as the police is
concerned, there appears to have been a marked
deterioration in the prevention and detection of crime
and security of convictions. These trends must be checked
for instilling sense of security and confidence in the
public, otherwise, people will be tempted to take law
into their own hands or make compromises with criminals
or the corrupt elements.
He said the highest
priority for the police has to be to improve its image
and standing among the people. Members is Khaki can earn
the goodwill, respect and cooperation from the people
only through their behaviour and fair and honest
discharge of their duty. A start will have to be made by
improving police-public relations through various
programmes. There is need to improve the procedures and
mechanisms of recruitment and training, enhancing
mobility, upgrading the intelligence work and
modernis-ation besides strengthening the manpower.
For raising the standard
of investigation and prosecution, there is need for much
greater use of scientific aids and investigations like
DNA, blood tests, hair and ballistic tests, medical and
chemical examinations and testing of finger prints. The
connected facilities and laboratories would also require
to be upgraded to catch up with the latest technologies
available in these fields. Computer applications and
techniques would certainly make the crime record and
Finger Print Bureaus much more efficient and useful.
The Governor stressed
that as per the recommendations of National Police
Commission there is urgent need to set up a State
Security Commission in every state and it deserves to be
carefully examined afresh. But it is also better to set
up an apex body in every state to ensure that supervisory
departmental mechanisms function properly and that
complaints against police officers engaged in
investigation and prosecution work as also
representations from them regarding their being subjected
to pressure or irregular directions are inquired into and
acted upon in appropriate manner.
In his keynote address, Mr
A Ahmad Ali former Director, National Police Academy and
Special Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs stressed the
need for change of Colonial type policing in the country.
Giving the past history of
police right from the British rule in 1765. Mr Ali
regretted that even the Police Acts enacted during the
British rule still prevail. A very few efforts were done
to bring reforms in the present policing in the country.
He said the 1861 Police
Act, by giving untrammeled power to the State Government
to appoint and remove the Police Chief of the state has
made it possible for the state police force to be used ,
and misused at will by the party in power in a state. The
fate of National Police Commission Report remained sealed
when it proposed a dilution of the State
Government’s direct control over the police by
suggesting the interposition of a State Security
Commission between the Chief Minister and the Police
Chief. It is indeed not easy to voluntarily surrender the
power.
It is hoped that as the
public’s interest in the police reform develops in
our country, by the dissemination of information of the
ideas thrown up in Police Congresses and seminars, a
statesman like politician will take up police reforms as
his cause and then the path of reform will smooth, he
maintained.
Earlier, the Director
General, Bureau of Police Research and Development Mr B B
Nanda said that issue of police reforms has engaged the
attention of all the concerned citizens and the
Government since the seventies, It’s time to
initiate a wider debate as how to equip the police to
take on the challenges in the 21st century after removing
the shortcomings and developing sound professionalism
among the police officers.
Mr Nanda said that in
next ten years the factors responsible for higher
incidents of crime will definitely increase and some of
its factors are migration, increasing population,
urbanisation, development of slums combined with
increasing unemployment. With the deterioration in the
quality of life in our towns and cities, the problems of
police are bound to become more cute.
Favouring the concept of
self-policing, he said self policing means—taking
adequate preventive measures to protect life and
property, resisting an attempt on life or property and
active involvement in the process of criminal justice.
Political leadership will also play a vital role in the
ability of police to perform its task, he added.
He said the technological
revolutions in information technology has opened new
fronts and the modus operandi of organised crime has
changed. Cyber-crime, computer-crimes and espionage
through cyber space are yet other new challenges before
police. It is high time that we give some thought to make
our policing more effective to meet such challenges.
Earlier, the Director
General of J&K Police Mr Gurbachan Jagat welcomed the
Governor, galaxy of police luminaries and top security
officers, ministers, bureaucrats and prominent citizens.
Former Punjab Police Chief, Mr KPS Gill and Director IB,
Mr Shymal Dutta were also present.
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