#dnaEdit: Oblivious to ground realities

If the Delhi police have their way, crime-fighting will turn into a spectacle — that too Hollywood style. A fleet of helicopters will hover over the capital, swooping down at the slightest threat to law-and-order. 
An aerial watch, however cutting-edge it might seem on screen, is just a fanciful and outrageously expensive way of battling crime. It has come up for consideration because the Centre is keen to revamp the ossified law-enforcement agency. But ideas for beefing up patrolling must be grounded in reality. 

It’s heartening to learn that the new home minister Rajnath Singh is focused on bringing about much-needed changes in policing, prompted by an exponential increase in gender crimes and a spike in all forms of criminal activities. His prodding has also inspired the Mumbai police to get their act together. Few days back, they had come up with a modernisation plan, under the Centre’s Megacity Policing Programme, requiring Rs200 crore that will enable them to do all their administrative and day-to-day work on the computer, thus discarding the time-consuming process of paperwork. A new sophisticated communication network — on par with Western countries — as well as exhaustive training programmes are part of the battery of measures. The Ministry of Home Affairs is so impressed with the Mumbai’s police’s vision that it wants to replicate it in other cities as well. So far, in this regard, the island city’s men have shown more pragmatism than their Delhi counterparts. The latter’s departure from traditional demands of new vehicles, weapons, machinery and manpower also signals a new way of doing things. 

Technology, weaponry and easy availability of trained personnel are important, no doubt, but these are secondary compared to the grave ills plaguing the rank and file. Surprisingly, Singh is silent on corruption and politicisation of the force — the twin factors that have for years undermined its credibility and contributed to its people-unfriendly image. In the course of 10 years following the Prakash Singh and Others vs The Union of India and Others case based on a PIL filed in the Supreme Court by Singh, several committees were set up to suggest measures for a radical overhaul. Exasperated by the Centre’s and the states’ reluctance to free the police from the vice-like grip of politicians, and make them more accountable, the Supreme Court in a landmark judgment in the Singh case, directed the Central and state governments to carry out a seven-point reform programme. How far the apex court directive has worked is for everyone to see, especially for the law-abiding citizens who still consider lodging a complaint in the police station a scary affair. The police top brass is reduced to figureheads as political interference and patronage have become key factors in transfers and plum postings. Overworked and poorly paid, those in the lower rungs are depressed and demoralised at the way they are treated by their superiors. 

However, one has to admit there has been marginal improvement in dealing with crimes against women following the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013, on the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee. 

For Singh, here is an opportunity to leave a lasting impression. He has to surmount political challenges to facilitate the introduction of a new framework that allows the police a certain degree of autonomy and yet makes them completely accountable to the common man they are supposed to serve.