First step to policing: Dress sharp, behave humbly

I was at a stand-up comedy show last evening in Chennai. This new form of entertainment is now a rage here, with three bright young kids teaming up to regale the audience with some snippets on the funnier aspects of life in what was once considered a sleepy, conservative and humourless place. Chennai is no longer staid and dull, but is bubbly and effervescent, bursting at its seam. The police are naturally ubiquitous and active, especially at nights. They are popular with the law-abiding citizens. Some tough policing has made sections of the police unpopular among the unusually ‘spirited’ youth. Interestingly, the guardians of law came for some critical attention from the three awesome comedians. The focus was on the police’s way of fighting drunken driving. Many motorists coming out of pubs and clubs late in the night are ready fodder for overzealous policemen waiting for their prey at the most unlikely of spots. Being asked to blow their breath into the face of a policeman is one crude way drivers will have to demonstrate whether they are ‘clean’ or not. Ignoring technology (breathalyzer) many policemen invite ridicule on themselves. 

Movies cause greater damage through their depiction of a policeman as an uncouth and rapacious human being, always looking for a quick buck on the side. This is in contrast with the scene in a majority of Western democracies, where a policeman turns out smartly and is respected more than feared or ridiculed. This is especially true on the streets of London where the Bobby is a picture of smartness and energy. It pains me that the visage of the average Indian policeman has hardly improved over the years, in spite of the fact that we now have a definitely younger and fitter police force. Widespread venality at the cutting edge level – an undeniable feature in many regions of the country – alone cannot account for this. The malaise is deeper. 

In my view senior police officers, particularly the IPS class, are not quite exercised over this fundamental problem of personnel management. Except for a few among them, the rest have not exerted themselves to ensure that a policeman on the street is admired for his smart turn-out and civilised interaction with the humblest of citizens.

I could easily be mistaken for concentrating on the cosmetic aspect of policing rather than the substantial part that pertains to the quality of delivery of police service. Such a supposition is flawed. In my view half the battle of building a professional police corps will have been won if only we had a force that was smartly attired, one that displayed a countenance of a willing squad ready to jump into the fray for helping a citizen in distress.

An Indian policeman will rise in public estimate only if he takes a little more care on how he appears on the street. Crumpled uniform and an unshaven face hardly bring him dignity. Often one sees a policeman in sandals and not in regulation boots. Also one gains the impression that there is hardly any emphasis on personal hygiene during police training at academies or in daily briefing sessions. One can keep adding to this list of do’s and don’ts, which may sound trivial and mundane, and occasionally hurt religious and regional sentiments. This is no reason why we should abandon the pursuit of excellence in any field of public service, especially in the police.

The writer is a former CBI Director