There is an urgent need for police reforms in the state as the security personnels do not have an independent decision-making body and work under tremendous pressure from governments, speakers at a round-table conference here have said.
Speaking at a conference organised by the All India Lawyers Union (AILU) and People's Forum for Human Rights on Wednesday, senior advocate and civil rights activist Bojja Tarakam said the present policing system was introduced by the British to rule colonial India and was not suitable for a democratic society.
The conference was organised against the backdrop of the recent agitation by the families of AP Special Police (APSP) personnel demanding a plaint leave rule and other entitlements.
"To ensure that the police department is accountable to people and not to politicians, the reform is required urgently," Tarakam said. C Anjaneya Reddy, retired IPS officer, said the Supreme Court in 2006 had asked all the states to set up committees to look into the issue of police reforms, but there had been no response from any state so far.