Indian Police Services

o What is Policing?
 The activities carried out by police officers in order to preserve law and order

o Why do we have a police force?

 To maintain law and order and provide peace and security to citizens

o Difference between public order and law and order?

 Though law and order and public order are terms that are similar in meaning, law and order is a
general term that applies to a place or area on the whole while public order refers to a situation of
breach of law and order at a particular place at any given time.

o How many police forces in India?

 Central and state police

o Ways to become police officer

 3 ways
o IPS – Regular recruits
o Constables and sub – inspectors have to take written exam
o Join as Constable – up to level of DSP and
o Join as Sub – Inspector – up to level of SP District in-charge

o Strength of Police in India

 Approx. 30 lacs including both central and state police

o Women Police strength

 10.3%

o Need for gender sensitisation of police

 Low women representation in police
 Traditional Crimes against women are increasing
 New dimensions of crimes against women e.g. cyber stalking
 Police attitudes reflect patriarchy and arrogance
 Lack of woman empowerment in rural areas means that police have to be pro active in detecting
and investigating crimes against woman.

o Beat constable
 Constable with specific area or route to patrol

o Can a traffic police officer arrest me for an offence other than a traffic crime?
 Yes. If he sees you committing any crime he can arrest just like any other policeman can.

o What is rule of law?

 It means that law of the land is same for every citizen. The land is governed by the laws made
under Constitution. Laws made must be reasonable, just and apply to all in fair way.

o Are their special rules for arrest of women?

 Yes, No woman can be arrested between sunset and sunrise unless there is very special reason for
doing so. Even then, special permission must be given in writing by a magistrate after the
magistrate is satisfied that there are reasons for allowing this.
 A woman police officer has to be present with the police making the arrest.
 The woman has to kept in a separate lock-up in the police station and any examination, body
search, etc. has to be done by a woman officer or doctor.

o Problems/challenges?
 Colonial stigma
 Archaic laws
  Poor public community relations
 Overburdened
 Over centralisation
 Poor image

o Solution?
 Organizational transformation
 Procedural innovations
 Personnel improvements
 Behavioural transformation
 Modernization of police
 Decentralization of police function

o How to improve image of police ?

 Soft skill and communication training to police
 Inclusion of more women in police
 Social media use by police ensuring transparency e.g. Mumbai police
 Respecting the people who visit police station
 Community policing
 Highlighting positive contributions of police

o How to prevent custodial deaths ?

 CCTV cameras in police lockup’s
 Judicial enquiry of such deaths
 Tabling of such reports in legislature and action taken by govt
 Equipping officers with better investigative techniques
 Follow NHRC and SC guidelines

o Is police a service or a force ?

 Both. When Police helps the public in any manner like helping the drunkard person to their
destination or taking injured to the hospital. All these are services provided by the police.
 When Police uses the force in order to enforce the law or to maintain the order and law situation it
is force.

o 9. How to enhance FIR registration in your district ?

 Online FIR registration
 Police performance evaluation on the basis of crimes occurred and this causes police to not register
fir.
 Criteria for evaluating police performance can be changed.
 Grievance redressal mechanism for citizens of police refuse to file FIR
 Making it compulsory that station registers FIR even if crime is outside their territory and then
transfer to concerned police station.

o Commissioner system?
 urban areas with a population of 10 lacks or more, a police system capable of handling the
typically complex problems of crime, public order and internal security of such areas, will be set
up. This system will be called Police Commissioner System.
 Commissioner of Police of the respective police may be an officer of the rank of DIG
 District headed by DCP equivalent to SP
 District into sub – divisions
 Sub – divisions with appropriate police stations under it headed by Inspector
 o Powers of SP of District?
 head of the district police
 Policing
 Personnel efficiency and effectiveness
 efficient functioning of each wing of police
 Supervision and coordination with various wings of the police in the district and with neighbouring
districts and other organizations,
 Promoting good Public and media relations timely Dissemination of information
 Acquire full and detailed knowledge of the district and its current problems
 efficiency and the effectiveness of the SP impacts directly on the overall efficiency of policing
within a jurisdiction

o Objectives of Police Training?

 Divided into Indoor and Outdoor
 Indoor includes of various subjects like:
o Acts, Investigation, Crowd management, Forensics
o Organisational framework
o Calamities, Disaster Managements
o Ethics and Human Values
 Outdoor Includes:
o Physical fitness and unarmed combat with offence and defense techniques
o Drill with and without arms
o Weapon training and mob dispersal
o Equitation and equestrian skills (mounted police)
OR

 To prepare professionally sound and operationally competent policemen

 To develop physical fitness and competence in weapons
 awareness in trainees, about their roles, responsibilities and duties, along with the requisite
responsiveness and accountability expected from them
 To instil sound knowledge about law & procedure, to handle their various tasks of order
maintenance and crime management.
 To evolve requisite professional skills, essential to perform their roles
 To develop requisite attitudes, norms and values
 To foster loyalty to the Constitution, commitment to the aspirations of the nation, the concept of an
egalitarian society, and the needs for national integration.
 To create an awareness in the policemen that they are friends of the people and they can win the
confidence and cooperation of the community only with service orientation and by respecting the
needs, demands and rights of the people.

o As SP of district What measures you will take for peaceful conduct of shivajis birth anniversary
celebration without communal issues.
 Advance planning is very important. Organising peace committee meetings involving all
community leaders to sort out differences if any.
 Keep watch over communal offenders
  Procession route having other religions structures then posting a police picket there
 During Prayer timings of other religion like Namaz in mosque, ensure that procession not going in
front of those places during that time. We also request people to offer prayers in other mosque
which are not on route of procession to avoid confrontation.
 Use of CCTV cameras and LED screens enroute to give message to people that they are under
surveillance. Traffic diversion where possible on procession route. Visible force deployment.
 If anyone indulge into anti social activities then collect evidence and take staunch action.
 Force deployment to be strategic. Not to post Police personal having bad service record, trigger
happy, with health problem on bandobast duty.
 In case of any communal issue, do not allow to spread rumours , use maximum force, community
leaders to solve issue in golden hour after incident.
 After the procession, celebration over ensure that religious flags, buntings , hoarding, flexi banners
removed and properly disposed through organisers or Municipal, panchayat workers.

o Lynching of accused cases ( recently in Arunachal Pradesh )

 Police should instil confidence in minds of citizens when heinous crime of rape and murder of
child takes place.
 Immediate steps
o Accused in such cases to be lodged in high security prisons instead of jails having inadequate
security.
o Cases be tried in fast track courts and Accused bail to be opposed.
o Wide publicity for trial to be given
o Extra security at Court during trial or trial can be conducted in high security prison premises
establishing a court there.

o As an SP, how will you reduce police encounters?

 Effective surrender policy for criminals
 Odisha police model to fire only below waist and that too in self defence. This would reduce
killings and at the same time create deterrence.
 The guidelines are as follows:
o Recod Tip-offs either in writing or electronic form
o If pursuant to a tip-off the police uses firearms and this results in death of a person, then an
FIR must be registered initiating proper criminal investigation
o Investigation into such death by an independent CID team
o Mandatory magisterial inquiry into all cases of encounter deaths
o The NHRC or SHRC must be immediately informed of the encounter death
o Medical aid to injured victim/criminal and a magistrate should record his statement
o Ensure forwarding FIR and police diary entries to court without delay
o Expeditious and proper trial
o Informing next of kin of the dead alleged criminal
o Bi-annual statements of all encounter killings to be sent to the NHRC and SHRC by a set date
in a set format.
o Disciplinary action against police officer found guilty of wrongful encounter

POLICE REFORMS

o Centre and State powers?

Directions of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh vs Union of India in September 2006,including:

 Constitute a State Security Commission in every state that will lay down policy for police
functioning, evaluate police performance, and ensure that state governments do not exercise
unwarranted influence on the police.
 Constitute a Police Establishment Board in every state that will decide postings, transfers and
promotions for officers below the rank of DSP, and make recommendations to the state
government for officers of higher ranks.
 Constitute Police Complaints Authorities at the state and district levels to inquire into allegations
of serious misconduct and abuse of power by police personnel.
 Provide a minimum tenure of at least two years for the DGP and other key police officers within
the state forces, and the Chiefs of the central forces to protect them against arbitrary transfers and
postings.
 Ensure that the DGP of state police is appointed from amongst three senior-most officers who have
been empanelled for the promotion by the UPSC on the basis of length of service, good record and
experience.
 Separate the investigating police from the law and order police
 Constitute a National Security Commission to shortlist the candidates for appointment as Chiefs of
the central armed police forces.

o Model Police Act, 2006

 Key features
 Organisation and recruitment: Each state will have one police service, headed by the DGP.
o Direct recruitments to subordinate ranks (i.e. below Deputy SP) through a state level Police
Recruitment Board.
o Recruitment to officers’ ranks will be through the UPSC or SPSC
 Responsibilities: The responsibilities of the police serve will include:
(i) enforcing the law impartially, and protecting life, liberty and human rights,
(ii) preserving public order, and preventing terrorist, militant and other activities affecting
internal security,
(iii) protecting public properties,
(iv) preventing and investigating crimes,
(v) providing help in natural or man-made disasters,
 (vi) collecting intelligence, etc.
o In police stations in urban areas and crime prone rural areas, investigation of heinous and
economic crimes (e.g., murder, serious cases of cheating) will be carried out by a Special
Crime Investigation Unit, headed by an officer at least of the rank of a Sub-Inspector. Officers
of these units will generally not be diverted for any other duty.
 Accountability: The state government will exercise superintendence over the police service. This
will include
o laying down policies and guidelines,
o setting standards for quality policing, and ensuring that the police perform their duties in a
professional manner.
o State Police Boards will be constituted in each state to frame guidelines, select officers who
are qualified to be promoted to rank of DGP, and evaluate police performance.
o Police Accountability Commissions will also be set up by states to address complaints of
police misconduct.
o However key police functionaries (e.g., DGP and police station in charge) will have a
minimum tenure of two years unless they have been convicted by a court, or suspended from
service, etc.
 Service Conditions: The state government will ensure that the
o average hours of duty of a police officer do not exceed 8 hours (in exceptional situations, 12
hours).
o Adequate insurance coverage.
o A Police Welfare Board must be set up to administer and monitor welfare measures for police.