Law & order management is a national requirement

One feature of the functioning of the Army that police needed to emulate was to hold the supervisory officer - in a case of serious dereliction of duty by a policeman

It is a matter of deep satisfaction for all citizens that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has amidst his enormous responsibilities of handling international relations, issues of economic development and the challenges of national security, found time to address matters pertaining to national cohesion and internal stability at the strategic level and take the initiative of spelling out measures that would help to get the states and the Centre on the same grid on non-political aspects of governance in the interest of national unity and in furtherance of 'cooperative federalism. Addressing a conference of Chief Ministers, Home Secretaries, DGPs, heads of CPOs and CPMFs organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs at Surajkund in Haryana on October 28 for an exchange of ideas on technological advancement for policing in the country, Prime Minister Modi invited attention to the need for sending out the message that the police have the same duty towards the citizens across the country and considering adoption of a common uniform by all states to achieve the objective of 'one nation one police uniform'. Just as the IPS uniform is the same everywhere, officers and men of the state police could wear the same uniform with the insignia of the state on their shoulders. The BPR&D has already worked out well-researched designs of uniforms catering to weather conditions and physical comfort and carrying the institutional sign POLICE printed at the back to distinguish the officer from any other liveried personnel. The functional stamp of a common uniform upgrades the police as a Constitutional entity performing perhaps the most important duty of the State of protecting the citizens against lawless elements. A common uniform fits in with the philosophy of policing in a democratic country. India as the largest democracy in the world runs on the classic concept of equality rooted in 'one man one vote', provides equal opportunities to all and ensures the same protection of law to the citizens. The last of these three most important fundamental rights - political, economic and security related - is almost entirely looked after by the police. The Constitution of India rightly confers the responsibility of maintaining law & order and taking legal action against lawbreakers in the states because this function is best performed closer to the ground through decentralization. There cannot be different standards in the performance of the police, however, and just as citizens can move to and work in any part of India they also look forward to being served by the police machinery of India at the same level of efficiency everywhere. Uniformity of appearance will add to the confidence of the people in police across the length and breadth of the country and also inculcate in policemen a higher sense of commitment towards a national duty. It does not detract from the administrative control of the police or the autonomy about deploying the personnel that was totally vested in the states. The Prime Minister's idea about the uniformity of the dress for policemen reflects his high-level thinking on crucial matters of national importance. To the extent, the police implement the sovereign function of preventing violence and investigating a cognizable crime, any initiative that helps to improve that function is in the national interest as law & order management like security is above party politics. Police is a state subject but failures on the law & order front can damage the nation's image and even the country's economic interests by discouraging investment - particularly by foreign business leaders. The Centre has stakes inefficient policing all across the nation since the crime was also a borderless phenomenon. There should be a provision for voluntary inter-state deputations of police officers other than those belonging to IPS too and centrally-sponsored joint training programmes should be organized for officers and men drawn from different states. Most important, however, is the role of the Centre in getting UPSC to draw a panel of IPS officers in consultation with the concerned states for the appointment of DGPs - a procedure recommended by the Supreme Court as well. The Apex court did this in 2017 while recording its disapproval of the practice of state governments appointing an officer as Officiating DGP out of political vested interest. If the DGP is professionally upright and strong enough to guide the state police this will send the right message down the police hierarchy and improve the working of police stations which exist at the cutting edge of police-public interaction. Equally important is the part Centre had to play in punishing an IPS officer on the ground of gross dereliction of duty. The state government likewise should not hesitate in dismissing a rogue policeman under Article 311 of the Constitution against whom there was credible information of deliberate wrongdoings. The faith of law-abiding citizens in the police can be a strong promoter of national ethos and unity. The security environment of the country is currently marked by an enhanced threat to our internal security from external sources primarily from the Sino-Pak axis - an alliance between India's two prime adversaries who also happened to be its neighbours. Both Pakistan and China have a certain potential for fishing in our troubled waters at home and are already collaborating against India in intensifying cross-border terrorism in Kashmir and elsewhere by raising terror modules and also using social media as an instrument of combat including 'information warfare. Chinese drones have reportedly been used by Pakistan for its covert operations in Kashmir and Punjab. The two adversaries are also working together in building anti-India narratives within the country and abroad and colluding at international forums against this country. The upshot of all of this is the rising importance of local Intelligence and the emergence of the role of state Police as the first responder to threats to internal security. The function of Policing thus goes beyond the maintenance of law & order to the safeguarding of national security and it is therefore crucial that Central agencies had complete functional coordination with state and district Police and acted as a guiding hand for the latter in matters of handling security. 'One nation one police uniform' is conducive to this new function of the police that was transnational by its very nature. In the fitness of things, the funding of police 'modernization' schemes by the Centre should be devoted to the strengthening of police communications, mobility in identified 'sensitive' districts and special training of selected officers of police stations in counter-Intelligence. A reason why the police have generally not performed as well as they should have in the areas of crime prevention and maintenance of order is the politician-bureaucrat-criminal nexus that was continuing to operate in many places and in many ways. The Central Vigilance Commission which now has a functional link with state vigilance organizations as a national guide would do well to scan the state police more closely for any stark professional failures on the latter's part to stand up to this unholy alliance of people in governance. There is a general weakening of supervision in the police which should not be put up with - considering the procedural law that lays down that every senior officer in the field would be deemed to be the Station House Officer of all police stations in his or her jurisdiction. One feature of the functioning of the Army that police needed to emulate was to hold the supervisory officer - in a case of serious dereliction of duty by a policeman - implicitly responsible too unless cleared by the enquiry. The power that the law gives to even a police constable makes the function of supervision doubly important in Indian conditions. The Centre's legitimate authority of keeping track of the performance of IPS officers even after their allocation to states needs to be exercised more effectively to get the leadership of the state Police to measure up to the responsibility of exercising close supervision down the line. In the final analysis, Prime Minister Modi's brilliant idea shared by him at the Home Minister's Chintan Shivir (Ideation camp) at Surajkund will serve the purpose of promoting national unity, ensuring uniformity of governance throughout the country and putting the concept of 'cooperative federalism' on a deeper footing. With so much of the responsibility of safeguarding internal security falling on the shoulders of police, it would be advisable to deliberate on this important aspect of policing at the annual conference of DGPs chaired by Director IB and evolve a consensus also on 'one nation, one police uniform' that would enhance the pan-India spirit needed for this new role of policemen across the country. (IANS)DC Pathak (The writer is a former Director Intelligence Bureau)

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