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Insights into Editorial: May the Police Force be with you

By INSIGHTS

Insights into Editorial: May the Police Force be with you

21 December 2015
NOTE: Mindmaps will be posted separately henceforth
The annual conference of the directors general and inspectors general of police (DG/IG conference) has begun in
the Rann of Kutch. The conference, organised by the Intelligence Bureau on behalf of the Union home ministry,
discusses the common issues of state police forces and Central armed police forces and looks for strategies to
face new challenges the most critical areas being terrorism and insurgency, intelligence collection and sharing,
investigative standards, force modernisation, human resource upgrade, etc.
Following are the issues which need to be discussed in the conference:

1. Collection and analysis of preventive intelligence:

The most important and challenging task faced by the law enforcement authorities and intelligence agencies
today is the collection and analysis of preventive intelligence and follow-up action, especially pertaining to
terrorists and insurgents who pose a constant challenge to internal security.
While theres a dire need to improve the capability of the intelligence-collection machinery and upgrade its
resources, the intelligence-sharing mechanism leaves a lot to be desired. Our intelligence, collected by
state and Central agencies, still sits in silos.
Apart from the fact that its often not analysed properly, the mania for getting credit drives the organisation
having the intel to follow it up even if it doesnt have the wherewithal.
Our efforts in setting up the Natgrid, to build a secure sharing platform, have remained tied in knots despite
huge investments.
The DG/IG conference needs to discuss and find a way out of the current situation and lay down a roadmap for
establishing a robust intel collection and sharing mechanism.
What needs to be done?
The Central intelligence agencies have to strengthen their capabilities and also help states upgrade their
machineries for collecting both human and technical intelligence.
States also need to pick up on generalised inputs flowing to them and work on specific information, rather
than ignoring it all as vague and non-actionable.

2. Criminal Investigation:
The other important, but badly neglected, aspect of policing is criminal investigation. Standards have declined
sharply in the last few years. Unfortunately, the so-called premier investigation agencies like state CIDs and the
CBI are no exception.

Apart from investigations and conclusions of trials taking an abnormally long time, these tend to fall flat in
court, often attracting the judiciarys wrath. On the other hand, investigation is no longer a coveted job in
the states.
The fate of cases involving terrorism is no better. Several cases investigated by special units/ agencies
have not only ended in acquittals but also resulted in courts posing serious questions as to the veracity of
the evidence presented and the procedures adopted.
The directors general and inspectors general of police attending the conference need to discuss and debate this
situation to find urgent remedies. They also need to examine existing laws and procedures and suggest
modifications and measures for improvement.

3. Vacancies:
Central investigation agencies like the CBI, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement
Directorate continue to have huge vacancies, as officers from states are not willing to join and sister agencies are
staffed with officers from the Central armed police forces.
Even the apex courts direction to fill these posts and experiments like additional remuneration have not
yielded the desired results. This is unfortunate, and it cant be allowed to persist.
The conference may discuss whether a system whereby certain posts in the investigative wings of states
are financed by the Centre and states are obligated to depute a fixed number of officers to Central
agencies could be the way out.
These officers may revert to the states after five or six years, taking with them valuable investigative
experience.
A system of fast-track promotions based on merit determined by a limited competitive exam for
officers recruited at the sub-inspector level, who have put in a certain minimum amount of service, may be
another solution.
Even, most states have a huge number of unfilled vacancies. They tend to fill these on the eve of elections and
train personnel in facilities arranged in an ad-hoc manner.

4. Outdated arms and equipments:

Most state police forces continue to use obsolete equipment and arms, and lack the latest technology that would
help in investigation and intelligence-gathering.
State governments havent considered it their responsibility to apportion a part of their budgets to upgrade
police capabilities, even though law and order is their domain.
They need to realise that investing in better law enforcement will yield dividends in the form of more
economic investment and development.

5. Lack of Organisation:
There are no organisations to provide the police forces with tested and dependable specifications on equipment
and technology. They are generally dependent on vendors, who often sell outdated or not-so-suitable technology.
Though the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) has been tasked with this
responsibility, it hasnt been able to fulfil this need.

The conference needs to discuss a mechanism, under the BPR&D and with the involvement of
organisations like the DRDO, the IITs, IISc, etc, to help decide on specifications for equipment as well as
identify and develop the latest technology to be inducted at regular intervals.
IIT Bombays effort to set up the National Centre of Excellence in Technology for Internal Security, with
assistance from the department of information technology is a right step.

6. Lack of proper training:

Well-trained and motivated human resources are key to any police forces success. But, most training academies
are poorly staffed and often dont have the necessary facilities. Institutions need to be upgraded in terms of
facilities, equipment and technology.
Theres a need for advanced personnel planning and commensurate training facilities.
The best officers must be encouraged to join as trainers. It must be mandatory for personnel, including
officers, to undergo in-service training before promotion.
7. Involvement of state administrators:
While the DG/IG conference is attended by the Union home minister and senior ministry officials, it doesnt
involve chief secretaries and senior officers of the state home departments.
This is peculiar since law and order and investigation are state subjects. Any recommendations or
decisions arrived at cannot be implemented without the express support of state administrations.
Conclusion:
The state police forces and the Central armed police forces have been facing several problems and confronting
new challenges. To tackle these, a dynamic national strategy and farsighted policies are required that go beyond
state boundaries. The DG/IG conference should, therefore, serve as a platform for serious thinking on issues
confronting the police. It is necessary to provide impetus to senior officers to make an objective assessment of
where they stand today and what they are required to do in the next five years to meet the complex challenges of
policing and internal security.

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