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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Centre tells states to initiate police reforms -Vishwa Mohan

Centre tells states to initiate police reforms -Vishwa Mohan

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published Published on Oct 15, 2012   modified Modified on Oct 15, 2012
-The Times of India

Giving a new lease of life to various recommendations on police reforms including abolition of 'orderly' system in police force and evaluating quality of service at police stations by citizens, the Centre has written to states asking them to take action on several 'measures' relating to over four dozen 'functional areas' of policing which may help in improving 'law and order' machinery.

Though a number of suggestions had attracted public attention after Supreme Court delivered its judgment in response to a PIL on police reforms six years ago, the majority of them have been gathering dust in the files of state secretariats.

"A detailed note has been sent to states by the home ministry. Since 'police' is a state subject, it is for the state governments to enact Acts and rules to deal with the police," said an official.

Incidentally, the ministry woke up only after retired IPS officer Prakash Singh - who first moved the apex court on police reforms through the PIL in 1996 - had launched "People's Police Movement" on September 22 to highlight how both the central and state governments ignored the Supreme Court directions on many key suggestions.

Reacting to the ministry's recent move, Singh - former police chief of Assam and Uttar Pradesh - said, "Had the Centre been serious, it would have at least enacted new the Police Act for Delhi Police that comes under the Union home ministry."

He added, "The file to enact the Act has, however, been taking rounds of law and home ministries and Delhi government for the last five years after the apex court's direction. Though some states have amended their Police Acts, the amendments are more in the nature of perpetuating the status quo."

Some of the 'measures' which are supposed to be implemented by states include abolition of "orderly" system, creating a system of district attorney to guide investigation of crimes in districts, setting up metropolitan police authorities in all cities with population above one million, establishing an independent inspectorate of police to carry out performance audit of police stations and introducing a 'citizen friendly' system of registration of FIRs.

Although the orderly system (posting orderlies at the residence of police officers) has been abolished in some states, most of them still practice it through backdoor by attaching constables for screening visitors, attending telephone calls and delivering urgent messages.

Taking strong view of this system, the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) had in June 2007 recommended abolishing it completely which it found humiliating for constables. It also viewed it as sheer waste of human resources that had actually been trained to do 'core' policing jobs.

Seeking to set up Metropolitan Police Authorities in all cities having population above one million, the reform panel expressed that such body should have powers to plan and oversee community policing, increase police-citizen interface and suggest ways to improve quality of policing.

The ARC in its report on 'Ethics in Governance' also suggested a "periodic rating" of all police stations on the perception of citizens who have approached the police station for any service. It said the citizens must be involved in the assessment and maintenance of ethics in government offices and institutions.

"All these suggestions along with the ARC report on 'Public Order' - comprising 152 recommendations relating to states - have now been sent to states for taking action to improve police functioning," the home ministry official said.

The Times of India, 15 October, 2012, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-tells-states-to-initiate-police-reforms/articleshow/16814291.cms


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