Police force in Union Territory first set an example

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has for the first time spoken the truth about the state of affairs in regard to police force in different states of the country. He has rightly said that Police officers have been reduced to football to be kicked from one post to another. It is no secret that the political masters in the state treat police force as their personal militia, and those police officers who do not serve their vested political interests are arbitrarily tranferred or shunted to demorlise them. As the police is a state subject, the Centre can not interfere in the management of police organisation in the state except in the case of external aggression and internal disturbance. The Home Minister has rightly asked the state Director General of police while addressing them that why you do not oppose the frequent transfer and posting of your officers despite knowing the fact that this is being done because of the vested political interests of the political masters. DGP in the capacity of the leader of police organisation has every right to speak o behalf of their officers to uphold their morale. If they are found silent, it means they are also culpable. Though the Home Ministrer poited out UP and Punjab where police organisations are poorly administered and they are ahead of ther states in respect of frequent posting and tranfers of police officers, the police organisations in Union Territories are direct under the control of his ministry. He can lead there from the front in reforming the police organisation . Country’s premier police organisation Delhi Police is uder his control. He must form Police Establishment Boards (PEBs); one for below the rank of SIs and other for above the rank of SIs to deal with their transfers and postings as has been also directed by the apex court of the country. And he must start from the national capital Delhi. These boards should also be impowered to keep watch on the corruption in police organisation and high-handedness of police offers while they are on duty. Union Home Ministry must infuse among police officers a sense of protecting the life and property of all citizens without any bias of caste, creed, commuity and colour. The PEBs also should be vested with the power of disciplining the police force and nip in the bud wherever scent of politicising them comes from. The politicisation of the police organisation in states has been its bane and it must be finished. In recent years, the nexus between police, politician and criminal has developed and this is a very bad omen for law and order situation in the country. Until and unless the police organisation is made immune to any sort of polical influence, police officers can not deliver their duty honestly and impartially. The disease is in system so it must be overhauled. The police force can not be 100 percent professionals as long as political influence will continue to be exerted. So Home Minister P Chidambaram must make the police organisation in Union territories the role model so that the states should be asked to follow them.