Declare commitment to police reforms, political parties told

KOCHI: The Indian Police Foundation & Institute (IPF) has asked all the political parties to declare their commitment to police reforms in their election manifestos.
In a statement here, N Ramachandran, president, IPF has called upon all political parties to recognise that a robust criminal justice system was a fundamental pillar of India as a liberal democracy. "A modern and efficient law enforcement system committed to the principles of rule of law is essential not only to nurture our democratic institutions but is also essential for our internal security and economic development," he said.

‘Good policing for good democracy’ has never been part of our election discourse in the past. The Indian Police Foundation wants all political parties to include this fundamental aspect of governance in their election manifestos. The manifesto should also focus on technological revolution enabled by Information Technology, data analytics, Artificial Intelligence etc., which offer unprecedented challenges as well as limitless opportunities for modernisation of the police forces. "Considering the frightening dimensions of global terrorism and cybercrime as well as the evolving threats to public safety, security and national security emerging from a cyberspace without boundaries and the emerging complexities of law enforcement, the government should initiate a national debate on the need to bring the subject under the Concurrent List," Ramachandran said.

Other points that the parties should include in their manifestos are

• The political party is committed to transforming every police station in the country as a people-friendly space, where every citizen will have the right to be treated with dignity. The police station will be required to record every complaint made by citizens and her / his complaints will be suitably acted upon. Leveraging information technology tools, action taken on every complaint will be suitably communicated to the complainant within a reasonable time. 

• Safety and security of women and children will be one of the topmost priorities of our government. 

• Modernisation of police training will be one of the top priorities of the government to ensure that police personnel are equipped with appropriate professional and soft skills for dealing with citizens, especially women, children, persons with disabilities and those from marginalized communities, with appropriate levels of sensitivity. The party is committed to equipping the police with the required financial, infrastructural and manpower resources for better police service delivery to citizens. 

• The Supreme Court’s directions on police reforms would be implemented in letter and spirit to meet the democratic aspirations of the people. Towards this end, the party intends to set-up an inter-ministerial Task Force at the highest level, to review the implementation of the Court’s directions.