The image of police has improved considerably in the wake of the role being played in handling COVID 19 pandemic. Their role is being appreciated not only by the civil society but also by the mass media, which normally shows no restraint in displaying a policeman’s misconduct repeatedly. The larger perception that the public has is that the only language police know is that of “lathi”. A policeman is required only when there is some crime or disorder. This perception has changed with the duty rendered by policemen during COVID 19. We come across news about policemen's conduct which is contrary to the popular perception. For instance, two constables of a police station of Bhopal took care of an old woman, who could not speak the local language, for two months during the lockdown period. In Jhansi, the policemen distributed toys to the children of the migrating labourers at Uttar Pradesh – Madhya Pradesh border. Similarly, the policemen were seen pooling their funds to provide television sets to the poor children in a rural police station of Thiruananthapuram. Visuals of policemen helping hapless citizens by providing food and water, assisting them by arranging conveyance to reach home, wishing and celebrating the birthday of a senior citizen whose near and dear ones are stuck at faraway places are frequently seen in the mass media as well as social media. Policemen staying away from their family for months and risking their lives so that they are not found wanted in the call of the duty can be seen across the country. An image of a policeman having his packed food on the pavement and several other similar images have really touched millions of hearts. However, doubts are being raised that, is this changed image of police going to stay, or will it be forgotten with time once this pandemic is over. These doubts are not without reasons as extraordinary situations demand extraordinary efforts, but what when the situation is back to normal? Will police shred it's metamorphosed role and return back to the old ways of wielding “lathi”?
Those who have been part of this organisation know that this is not the first time that police has carried out its duty in this manner. Be it in natural calamity or even in any other emergency, police has shown such sensitivity and humane face in discharge of duty. In fact, such gestures of policemen can be seen in their day to day working. Though the scales are smaller, but it has largely gone unsung and unnoticed. It took an epidemic of COVID 19 proportions for such acts of police to get noticed and appreciated.
Policing is largely a misunderstood subject in this country. Maybe due to colonial hangover, policing is still seen as an agency to control crime and maintain law and order in the society. However, this popular perception does not harmonise with the role of police in a modern democratic society, where the duty of police is not only limited to crime control and maintenance of order but goes beyond. It’s about serving the citizens and instilling a sense of security amongst them.
Police is that agency of the state which works 24 hours a day throughout the year. They can be seen on their duty, even at odd hours, on the streets. It is a well known fact that police stations are the only government offices where the doors are never locked throughout the year. This makes police a natural ‘first responders’ for a wide variety of emergencies. Many of these emergencies are not related to crime. Instances of police response vehicles taking a pregnant woman to the hospital or dropping a family from railway station to their home at odd hours in the night or counselling a person in distress are not very uncommon. In fact, a bulk of dial 100 calls received is regarding issues not directly related to police.
Experience around the world has shown that police has not been able to ensure a sense of security in the community merely by controlling crime. Declining crime numbers and increased numbers of arrests are not something that impresses the community. Despite claims of a decreasing crime rate by the police, concerns regarding security being raised by civil society can be seen in most of the cities. It seems that the thinking of the police and that of the community are not on the same plane. The hard work done by the police does make the society more secure but does it really make an impact on the citizen’s mind? The COVID 19 experience has shown that the priorities of police have little to do with the needs of the community. It is not the extraordinary work done by police in controlling crime which has led to this change of perception, but the actions undertaken to combat the challenges of COVID 19 are the reasons for it. The police has been largely catering to the needs of the community – be it enforcing lockdown or monitoring and imposing the restrictions.
The COVID 19 experience is a lesson to learn for the police. It points towards the fact that though crime control and maintenance of order is the main role of the police, it also needs to appreciate the concerns of the society. We need to step out of our shoes and look into the issues from the eyes of the community. Simple signs of disorder like using power horns, driving motorcycles without silencer, over speeding, graffiti on a public wall or playing music at a very high decibel would be making them feel insecure. However, handling such signs of disorder has hardly been a priority for police. We need to be sensitive to the problems as being perceived by the community. This will not only instil a sense of security in the minds of common citizens but also reduce the fear of police and increase citizen’s satisfaction with the police. It will also improve the policeman's attitude towards citizens and increase the morale and job satisfaction of police. COVID 19 has shown us the direction; the challenge is to walk the path. (Views and opinions expressed are personal.)
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