Community Policing

‘Community Policing’ is a joint endeavour between Police & Community to recognize troubles of crime, disorder and calls for all components of the community in the hunt for answers to these troubles. This notion brings the Police & Community into a closer operational association and demands larger responsibility on citizens.

• ‘Community Policing’: Policing with the help of Community.
• Policing or Patrolling = Watch over or guard an area by regularly walking around; Maintain law and order using police; guard with police

Policing includes the following:

• Sustenance of order and peace,
• Security, safety of the people and property.
• Make certain effectual enforcement of law.
• Espial of crimes.
• Organized stream of traffic in urban areas and in highways etc.

Understanding the concept of ‘Community Policing’

Policing, to a feasible extent, by the community itself i.e. any or all the functions cited above may be executed by the community as far as feasible and the residual functions to be executed by the police with the support and participation of the community to the greatest degree possible.

The notion of ‘Community Policing’ began from village Kotwal, where a individual from the community performs the functions of the police in the village. Slowly but surely and sadly the notion of Village Kotwal had been experiencing alterations where its community character seems to be tapering off. Home-guards were another form of ‘Community Policing’. But this has now turn into more a component of police force than of the community.

Civil defence / emergency relief plan build up mainly on affairs and engagement of the people in executing the safety, security, relief, and crisis management functions of the police during emergency. But now the thought needs a blanket vision, more and regular engagement of Citizens and Police itself.

Instances of ‘Community Policing’

• Informal appointments of security guard, patrolling an area and who is paid wages from the households of the region, is another form of ‘Community Policing’ at the initiative of the security guard but with the keen approval of the vicinity.
• Security arrangements in housing complexes and housing societies, security arrangements in factories and large establishments are another form of ‘Community Policing’.
• Institutions like Peace committees activated during period when there is serious apprehension / threat of break down of law and order.
• Civil defense plans / emergency relief plans during riots or wide spread break-down of law and order.
• The concepts of rural policing by community (Kotwal),
• Trained people in the community to perform the functions of the police when required (home-guards)
• Identified Sector Wardens, Chief wardens etc (under civil defense / emergency relief plan),
• Special police officers, Honorary Magistrates and involvement of people in trail of offences

Schemes for ‘Community Policing’

• Neighbourhood watch scheme.
• Nature of Interface between Community and Police
• Single Window for Community Interface
• Community Relations Unit (CRU)
• Senior citizens’ scheme.
• Self defence camp for girls.
• Special police offers for every neighbourhood in the in the urban areas.
• Crime stopper scheme aimed to encourage members of the public to play a part in detecting crime by giving information.
• Management by one or close involvement of police in:-
  • De-addiction centres for drug addicts and alcoholics
  • Juvenile aid camps.
  • helter homes for runaway children.
  • Senior citizen’s home.

Therefore, citizens can shape groups within the society or the area they live or work. Such social group can enrol themselves with the Police and work hand in hand with Police to solve problems, minimize disorders in the society and thus achieve the very objective of ‘Community Policing’.

Evolution of Community Policing

The fruition of police in India over the years, has been directed by the coercion and needs of the overriding ruling class, may it be a Maurya or Gupta King, a Mughal Monarch, the British running a colonial system to realize their ends of occupation or even, miserably so, in our contemporary democratic system. We must well comprehend that the Police have been the principle means via which the dominant classes have sought after to disseminate their hold on power and authority by means fair or foul. Thus, making the Police an apparatus of subjugation and giving it the picture of a rough and ready ruler friendly organization rather than that of an agency, which is unbiased and neutral and which objectively implements the rule of law.

Paradoxically, in our res publica’s post independent history too any act to alter the basic framework, which even distantly resulted in the diminishing of control over the Police has been resisted sincerely by the powers that be. In over half a century of independence many commissions were set up and recommendations obtained devoid of much having been done to let the Police come out its -ve image.

In any free society all organs of governance or private enterprises feel a persuasive need to put in +vely to the development of the country. If this is correct than how can those who join the police are recognized as a disgustingly -ve force of subjugation? All of us have the desire to put in +vely.

Even these days Police persists to be in an inextricable manner trapped in and incapable to come to terms with present-day social reality and growingly turning alien and agonizingly inappropriate in the current Indian conditions. Can a speedily altering society swearing by democratic principles afford to live in continuous conflict with its primary law enforcement agency?

The clamant need to move from a –ve to +ve image is forever there in our minds. The society too informally desires this most manifest arm of governance to become more people friendly and compassionate like the British “Bobby” may be. Having known the Police only as an exploitive corrupt and hostile agency, the society had to be the first got involved in the works, which the Police carry out. It was also realized that such attempts would basically and in an active manner have to come from the Police itself.

This was the guiding force for us to initiate ourselves into the entire gamut of Police – Community relations. Attempts in this route had been made at various points. These moves were imitated by many States and their districts and are getting acknowledged as a successful means of ameliorating Police – Community Relations. [This content was originally published in GKToday’s Target 2012 documents]