POLICING FOR THE NEW AGE
Title of the Book: POLICING FOR THE NEW AGE
Name of the Author: PRAVEEN KUMAR
Address: B-3, SENIOR POLICE OFFICERS’
RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX,
SHOOLAY CIRCLE, HOSUR ROAD,
BANGALORE-560 025 (Karnataka, INDIA)
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Year of Publication: 1992
Subject: INDIAN POLICE AFTER INDEPENDENCE
Respectful Dedication To Shree R.D.Suvarna, My Father
Policing For The New Age is a collection of
articles that analyses the status quo of Indian
policing in the nineties, in the light of the
changes that can be reasonably expected to
occur as we approach the twenty-first century.
An organised, efficient police force, beholden to
none and committed only to the preservation of
law and order and the well being of the society
it serves is a necessary concomitant to the
smooth functioning of the civilized order.
Reality presents quite another picture
altogether.
What has gone wrong and more importantly
what can be done to bring about a change in the
status quo is the book's theme, the leitmotif
that runs through its articles. At once
hard-hitting and scholarly as they are, they
reveal both the anguish and the unquenchable
hope of a man devoted to his calling and
articulate his conviction of the positive role it
can and must play in the life of our country.
Praveen Kumar is a senior Police Officer
with the Kamataka Police. Apart from Policing
For TheNew Age, he has also authored and published
five volumes of verse – Love And Pride, Unknown Horizons and
Portraits Of Passion in English, and Divya Belaku
and Bhavana in Kannada, and Policing The Police,
a treatise on the Police and Policing.
Born in Mangalore, Praveen Kumar
graduated in Science from St. Aloysius College,
Mangalore, going on to obtain a
post-graduate degree in Literature from Mysore
University. He also holds post-graduate
diplomas in Business Management and
Cooperation. In his student days he was also a
prize-winning orator and writer and shares an
active interest in interior decoration with his
wife, Smt. Jayashree. He has also appeared on
literary programmes on Doordarshan - Kavi
Sammelana and Sanchaya and interviewed several
times by different TV channels as a Poet and Police
Officer.
Stemming from his varied academic
background, are the lively far-ranging Interests
that have impelled him to write on subjects as
diverse as police procedure and poetry, striking
the perfect balance between the pursuance of
vocation and avocation.
BHAVANA
(Poems In Kannada)
THE WORK IS A BUNCH OF LILTING POEMS IN EASY, INTIMATE
AND COSY KANNADA. THEY ARE THE REVERIES OF A TRAINED
AND CRITICAL MIND OF A MATURE POET WITH AN OBSERVING
AND PENETRATING EYE AND SHARP SENSITIVITY TO THE
WORLD AROUND.......THE CANVAS FOR HIS 62 SHORT PIECES
/OF POETRY IS THE WHOLE GAMUT OF HUMAN LIFE, ITS
CHARMS AND BEAUTY..... AND IS HIGHLY ENJOYABLE.....
THERE IS ALSO A BOUQUET OF THE ECSTATIC WORLD OF
LOVERS AND ROMANCE.
THE HINDU
DIVYA BELAKU
(Poems In Kannada)
METAPHORS AND WORLD IMAGERIES, REPLETE WITH RHYME
AND RHYTHMIC FELICITY HERE FILL AND SPILL IN ALL
DIRECTIONS; THEY FLY, FLOAT AND DANCE AND ULTIMATELY
GO STILL TO ECHO WITHIN TIME AND AGAIN (Translated from
Kannada).
DR. SHIVARAMA KARANTHA
PORTRAITS OF PASSION
(Poems In English)
PRAVEEN KUMAR IS A POET, A PROLIFIC WRITER
AND A SENIOR POLICE OFFICER IN ONE.THE GENTLE
PASSIONS OF A POET, INTELLECTUAL ATTRIBUTES
OF A CREATIVE WRITER AND HARDIHOOD OF A
POLICE ADMINISTRATOR HAVE SPLICED TOGETHER
IN HIS LITERARY CREATIONS.
UNKNOWN HORIZONS
(Poems In English)
THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF DELIGHT AND SURPRISE
THROUGHOUT. THE POET IS AWARE OF THE WONDERFUL
WORLD OF NATURE AND OF MAN. SO HE IS ABLE TO EMPLOY
TELLING IMAGES TO PORTRAY HIS INNER FEELINGS OF
BEAUTY AND LOVE.
DR. M. GOPALAKRISHNA ADIGA
POLICING FOR THE NEW AGE
(Essays on Police)
THE LANGUAGE IS FLOWERY.....THERE IS A NEED TO
APPRECIATE HIS RUTHLESS EXPOSURE OF THE
CRIMINALISATION OF POLITICS AND THE POLITICISATION OF
THE POLICE... HIS TREATISES ON DOWRY DEATHS AND
THEIR INVESTIGATION AND ON POLICE DOGS ARE
CHARACTERISTICALLY THOROUGH AND SOUND MERITING
UNIVERSAL ATTENTION.....THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE
AUTHOR WHO HAS ALREADY ACQUIRED A REPUTATION AS
A POET IS A HIGHLY SENSITIVE AND CULTURED PERSON.
THE HINDU
POLICING THE POLICE
(Essays on Police)
A POLICE officer and a prolific writer, Praveen Kumar, has published
another anthology ……….in the form of this book.……… "Policing the police" acquires more relevance today in the context of the criminalisation of not just politics, but of the services as well……….Coming as a sequel to his earlier book Policing for the New Age, the author chooses to describe policemen as "social doctors" and policing as a "surgical operation to systematically remove cancerous growths from the body of society”.
THE HINDU
Praveen Kumar is not only an upright police officer but also a poet and a prolific writer.……..Policing the Police—an analytical Study of the philosophy and field dynamics of the policing in practice highlight various problem areas including defective selection and recruitment,unsound training and unhealthy job culture and identifies likely solutions for its redemption.
DECCAN HERALD
Praveen Kumar gives an insight into the Indian police set-up and analyses the problems of the department, with interesting illustrations from the field.
Mr Kumar's book is a departure from the routine, where he not only analyses
the problems, but also suggests solutions.
THE ASIAN AGE
The author expresses concern over sycophants climbing the ladder and reaching the top to hold the reins and guide the destiny of the police. The result — a spiritless culture created by incompetent leaders…….Policing the police involves self-policing. Through the book, the author has made an honest effort to throw some light on the state of affairs of Indian police.
THE TIMES OF INDIA
A police officer unravels his profession.
INDIA TODAY
Policing with a cause. Policing The Police by Praveen Kumar.…….delves deeply on this core aspect of policing and lays bare the Indian Police setup, sheath by sheath………He interprets police and policing through the prism of a poet’s sensibilities.
THE HINDUSTAN TIMES
PUBLISHED WORKS OF PRAVEEN KUMAR
Books
a) English writings 1) POLICING FOR THE NEW AGE (MAY 1992)
2) POLICING THE POLICE (JANUARY 2000)
b) English poems 1) UNKNOWN HORIZONS (JULY 1991)
2) PORTRAITS OF PASSION (MARCH 1997)
3) LOVE AND PRIDE (2002 IN WEB)
c) Kannada poems 1) DIVYA BELAKU (JULY 1991)
2) BHAVANA (DECEMBER 1993)
Articles
a) The Hindu (Open Page)
1) INDIAN POLICE AT A CROSSROADS (6-6-1995)
2) INTERNAL SECURITY- CHALLENGES AND APPROACH (8-8-1995)
3) INDIAN POLICE: TIME TO TAKE TOUGH DECISIONS (19-9-1995)
4) WHAT AILS PROFESSIONAL POLICING IN INDIA? (2-1-1996)
5) NEED TO LIBERATE LAW ENFORCERS FROM UNHOLY ALLIANCES (2-4- 1996)
6) ROLE OF POLICE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF INDIA (18-6-1996)
7) WHERE THEIR LOYALTIES LIE… (27-8-1996)
8) CAUGHT IN THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF CORRUPTION (15-10-1996)
9) POLICE STRUCTURE NEEDS THE MANAGEMENT TOUCH (31-12-1996)
10) POLICE & HUMAN RIGHTS – DOES END JUSTIFY MEANS? (18-3-1997)
11) RESTORING CREDIBILITY TO CRIME INVESTIGATION (24-6-1997)
12) WHAT AILS THE INDIAN SECRET POLICE (9-9-1997)
13) POLICE UNPROFESSIONAL (20-1-1998)
14) LAW AND JUSTICE (23-6-1998)
15) POLICE MORALE ERODED BY POOR ADMINISTRATION (8-9-1998)
16) TIME TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CIVIL SERVICE (2-3-1999)
QUALITY OF CIVIL SERVICE (19-3-1999) : letter to the Editor
as answer to UPSC response in THE HINDU dated 16-3-1999.
b) The Indian Express (Editorial Page)
1) QUOTA SYSTEM CAN WEAKEN CIVIL SERVICE (6-6-1995)
2) EMPOWERING THE CBI (10-7-1997)
c) Deccan Herald (Sunday Supplementary)
1) TOWARDS SANE SERVICE (2-7-1995)
2) LACKING VIGOUR (6-7-1997)
3) PROFESSIONAL PRIDE OF THE POLICE (28-9-1997)
4) NEED TO REVITALISE THE POLICE (23-11-1997)
5) FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE (11-11-2001)
d) The Times Of India
1) THE GUN STILL SPEAKS (21-10-1995)
e) Alive (Focus)
1) CRIME, POLITICS AND POLICE (FEBRUARY 1996)
2) CRIMINALISATION OF POLICE (JANUARY 1997)
3) THE INDIAN POLICE : MALADIES AND REMEDIES (SEPTEMBER 1998)
4) THE CRUMBLING STEELFRAME OF INDIA (NOVEMBER 1998)
5) KASHMIR: THE CORE ISSUE OF NATIONHOOD (FEBRUARY 2002)
f) IJCC
1) INVESTIGATION OF DOWRY DEATH CASES (1996 – 3)
2) INDIAN INTERNAL SECURITY BUILDUP (1998 – 4)
TV appearances
a) Interviewed
1) Sanchaya (Bangalore DD) on 8-6-1992
2) Sanchaya (Bangalore DD) on 22-8-1994
3) Parichaya (Udaya TV) on 16-3-2000
b) Presenting Poems
1) Sanchaya (Bangalore DD) on 12-9-1989
2) Kavi Sammelana (Bangalore DD) on 17-10-1990
National Events
a) National Seminar
1) Political Reforms in India (centre for Policy Research & BU) on
20-3-2002
S.Mohan Bangalore
Chief Justice October 1,1991
"Man is just a minute constituent of the monolith of police".
In a broad sense the term ‘Police' connotes the maintenance of law and order and protection of the rights of the citizens. Specifically, it applies to the officers who are charged with the duty of maintaining public order and enforcing law, including prevention and detection of crime. There can be no civilized society without an efficient police organisation. For a democracy to survive, the existence of a police organisation committed to legal and social values is essential. The role to be played by the police in a developing democratic country undergoing rapid social changes is indeed very great. In a democratic society the police should be so organised as to be a reliable instrument for the maintenance of order and suppression and prevention of crime, while at the same time assuring that they exhibit restraint and sensibility to citizens' rights.
In recent times the topic regarding politicalisation of the police organization has become the subject matter of discussion. Though in a democracy the police might find it difficult to completely dissociate themselves from politics and political influence, it is very necessary for effective discharge of their duties that they should avoid political involvements. It is high time that the persons wielding political power realise the great harm that would be done to the society by using the police for political ends.
Of late, the police are required to deal with new types of crimes and
situations. The techniques to be adopted by the police are also undergoing
various changes. The priorities in the field of crime and investigation have also changed. There is need for a study of the various changes that have taken place in the policing field.
Mr. Praveen Kumar in this treatise has exhaustively dealt with various
aspects of policing with reference to the new challenges, new types of offences and new techniques of investigation. His approach to the various topics is refreshingly sound. How beautifully he has underlined the suppression of crime, remembering he who overlooks a crime, encourages the commission of another. He has dealt with each subject in a thorough and thoughtful manner. I am sure this book would be helpful not only to those in the police organisation, but also to those who wish to have an insight about the working of the police organisation, the challenges faced by the police and the new trends in Ihe field of policing.
A police officer with a tough heart, to be a poet, is a matter of approbation.
As a poet he manifests humanism. That the same spirit is to be exhibited in
reforming the criminals is his theme here.
I wish Mr. Praveen Kumar all the best in his literary ventures. May he
succeed endlessly.
Bangalore
(S. MOHAN)
CHIEF JUSTICE
HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA
This is a fascicle of nine essays, written between.the years 1987 and 1991
and deal with various aspects of Policing and Police Organisation. The essay on "Social Justice And Law Enforcement" was written in late December 1990 for presentation at a seminar at the National Police Academy in Hyderabad. In "Dowry Death Cases And Their Investigation" which was written as a general guide for police officers, the three primary aspects of investigation namely law, investigation procedure and forensic interpretation of evidences are separately dealt with. Written in 1990, the essay was intended as subject reading for the Corps of Detectives of Karnataka. And "The World In The 21st Century" is actually two essays clubbed for this publication, both written in 1990, as entries to an international competition sponsored by Keihanna Interaction Plaza Inc. Kyoto, Japan and supported by National Land Agency of Japan, the Kyoto, Osaka and Nara Profectural Governments. The ambit of the essay extends beyond policing and its organisation in an attempt to envision conditions in the 21st century as they might logically be assumed to develop from latter-day circumstance. On the other hand, "Organisational And Administrative Challenges Before The Police For The New Age" is more specific in scope and derives in part from my own experiences. This and "Humanising The Police - The Role Of Its Leaders" arc of earlier vintage, having been written in the latter half of 1987 as entries in riational-level essay competitions held for police officers. "Humanising The Police - The Role Of Its Leaders" is written in the context of a democratic setup such as ours, where the inteneration of policing methods without sacrificing discipline and efficiency is something that is of universal relevance. "Police Dogs For The New Age in Kamataka" is an essay adapted from a study report prepared in 1989 for expansion and modernization of the Dog Squad in the Kamataka Police Department. The essays "Crime, Politics And The Police", "Internal Security - Challenges And Approach" and "Indian Police At The Crossroads" were written as recently as August 91. "Crime, Politics And The Police" is an in-depth scientific analysis of the present Indian Police and its organisation in relation to the topical subjects of criminalisation of politics and the politicisation of the police. "Internal Security - Challenges and Approach" identifies the maladies of internal security operations in India and endeavours to find remedies while the essay, 'Indian Police At The Crossroads' is an overall examination of the police subculture in India in the post-independent era. The essay is based on empirical evidence encountered during the last thirteen years of my service in the police and its rational analysis. The scope of the essays are limited to analysis of the causes of the maladies and the suggestion of remedies to prepare "Policing For The New Age." Awareness of the malady itself is half the remedy. Ergo, if these essays succeed in awakening police leadership from its frosted complacence by shocking its sensibilities with the truth, the raison d' etre of the essays will be more than fulfilled. The esperance is that these scientific works would be found useful and appreciated by police professionals as well as by the public.
Though each essay addresses various issues confronting the police, the
treatment of these problems can be neither said to be exhaustive nor conclusive: they are only meant to provoke thinking. There are many other problems with special reference to the Kamataka Police that require urgent solution.
If policing is to be effective in the years ahead, specialization is crucial. I
suggest three distinct police services with separate recruitment and training:
a)Regulatory Police or Uniformed Police in charge of law and order and other regulatory duties; (b) Mainstay police in charge of crime investigation, crime prevention, security and intelligence operation; (c) Social police in charge of prevention and investigation of all social offences and implementation of social legislation. All three wings should have their own individual organisations upto district level with independent Superintendents and staff as required: functioning in tandem in much the same way as the army, navy and airforce. At the apex could be a specially constituted body called the State Police Authority with Police Chiefs of all three wings as members and the Chief Secretary of the Government as its Chairman.
At present, the growth of the Police Department is not really much more
than a spasmodic reaction to various stimuli and lacks the benefit of an
integrated approach. As a result, a structural chorisis is evident which places
operational facilities, counterbalances and counterchecks in jeopardy. The
constitution of a permanent cell of organisation experts under the direct control of the police chief to redefine Kamataka's Police Organisation is required to make it more meaningful and need-based. This could help in streamlining the hierarchy by identifying and eliminating redundant posts, rationalizing workloads and preventing their duplication, redefining duties and procedures and thus the rights and responsibilities at each level. In consequence, police functioning would be made more cost-effective and efficient.
The annual assessment of men and officers in the police has become a
travesty of what it was originally meant to be. In no way, under the present
circumstances, does an ACR reflect an officers qualities or capabilities or lack thereof. Any reliance on this clavis to mischief is sure to demoralise the force. It is my strong conviction that the department would be far better off without this pernicious evaluation process that encourages corruption and favouritism in the force. Though, it must be said that the evils of the ACR are not inherent in the process itself, but stem rather from the calibre of those who write them at various levels. What characterises the rite of the ACR today is a distinct lack of objectivity: it has become a means to personal ends, a medium for the advancement of individual interests and even settlement of personal scores. Servility is its inevitable consequence and it would not be immoderate to say that, eliminating the ACR altogether would be certainly a step towards commune bonum in the police force.
The other suggestion I have in mind to make in regard to the Karnataka
Police is that the Karnataka State Police Officers who don't opt to join the IPS must have the opportunity for promotion provided by reservation of a suitable percentage at the next level. New rules would of course have to be prescribed for such promotion. Similarly, a minimum percentage of the total number of district and other coveted posts must be reserved for these officers. As the KSPS and IPS are two distinct services and nowhere is it stated that the latter superates the former, equal opportunities should be given to officers of both services. There would be no harm in allowing KSPS officers to grow in the service of their induction if proper avenues for advancement are vouchsafed. They would also feel more of a sense, of belonging in their own service rather than in an alien service, where a degree of alienation is perhaps inevitable.
It is common experience that police officers on deputation land in jobs far
lower in rank than in their home departments. The tendency to only gradually upgrade posts to facilitate promotion further complicates matters. Many posts generally held by Deputy Commissioners in administrative service were held by DIGs and then by IGs in the police department, with a consequent lowering of the prestige and dignity of the ranks. Similarly, there are very high-ranking posts in the Kamataka Police with minor job contents, ipso facto affecting the dignity of the ranks'. These matters require critical review by organization experts to have a more balanced police setup in Kamataka.
The blame that no talent breeds and grows in the heath of the police setup
cannot be easily gainsaid. The Indian Police Service continues to be an
intellectually poor, unattractive, subsecive service in the spectrum of All India Services with only misfits opting for the service. The constabulary which forms the bulk of the service is largely constituted of people from the lower strata of society who are psychologically handicapped to exercise their police powers against the more enlightened people in society. The tendency to foul-up superior intellect and excellence is another contributing factor for the atrophy of the police setup. The general reluctance to adopt modern techniques of policing and management, the dogmatic approach to man-to-man and public relations and the lack of psychological insight to human nature are other factors responsible for the unfortunate state of affairs in the force. These problems can be overcome only by capable police leadership at all levels. The organisation is bound to experience a glissade until the trend of donkey-judging-and-riding-horse is put to an end in the police setup and a semblance of objectivity, reasonableness and good judgement touch the core of police administration. This and related issues with possible remedies are discussed in this volume.
I remember with profound regard and love, Shobha, who provided me
strength and inspiration always. I have dedicated this work to my father,
Shri R.D. Suvarna. It is he and my mother Smt. B. Sarojini who made me
whatever I am. Without their encouragement, perhaps I would have never
ventured into literary pursuits. The ideas about the police in this volume
surfaced in the process of my exchanges with my wife, Smt. Jayashree. I am grateful to her for this and her succinct support in spawning this work. My deep gratitude is due to my brothers, Shri Nishith Kumar and Shri Sushir Kumar and sisters, Smt. Asha N.R. and Smt. Pramodini Ganesh, without whose help and encouragement, this volume would not have been a reality at all.
I thank the Hon'ble Mr. Justice S. Mohan, Chief Justice, High Court of
Kamataka, Bangalore (currently, a judge in the Supreme Court of India) for writing a beautiful foreword to this book. His wise and good words brought honour to this work and blessings, strength to me.
Bangalore - PRAVEEN KUMAR
22.2.1992
About the author
Other books of the author
Foreword
Introduction
Crime, Politics And The Police
Indian Police In Crossroads
Humanising The Police
Organisational And Administrative Challenges Before
The Police For A New Age
Internal Security - Challenges And Approach
Social Justice And Law Enforcement
Dowry Death Cases And Their Investigation
Police Dogs For A New Age In Karnataka
The World In The 21st Century
