Promise of 'My Police'

The general public often hesitates to approach a police station even for the most pressing matters unless someone influential puts in a word on their behalf. Fear remains the primary reason. There is also the lingering fear that a complainant may end up being treated as the accused. Successive Home Ministers have sought to dispel this perception and make the police more accessible. While there is no denying that the force has changed for the better over the years, whether the public has truly experienced that change remains open to question. It is against this backdrop that Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala's 'My Police' initiative offers reason for optimism. The project seeks to ensure that visitors to police stations are treated with dignity and provided prompt, efficient services. Equally important, it aims to foster the feeling that the police station belongs to the people it serves.

Treating those who approach a police station with courtesy is not an extraordinary expectation but a matter of basic civility. The Additional Director General of Police in charge of law and order has been entrusted with coordinating the initiative, which should help improve the efficiency of police stations. The 'My Station' project, aimed at transforming the public face of police stations, deserves every success. The government has also decided to strengthen the two-decade-old Janamaithri Police project. Range DIGs will gather public feedback on the functioning of police stations, while the DGP will review their performance every month. The police chief will also submit a monthly progress report to the government. If implemented in earnest, these measures can only strengthen the relationship between the police and the public.

During the previous government's tenure, complaints were widespread that the police had been allowed to function without adequate restraint. The public even witnessed protesters being manhandled by the then Chief Minister's gunman. The fact that some senior police officers, who appeared to believe that political patronage placed them beyond accountability, are now under investigation speaks for itself. At the same time, there is little doubt that the Kerala Police possess the competence and professional ability to crack even the most challenging cases when they set their minds to it. Yet complaints about the force's attitude and methods have never entirely disappeared. Bringing about a genuine change in this regard would be a significant achievement. At a press conference, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala declared that custodial deaths and custodial torture would be eradicated completely. That goal, however, cannot be realised by ministerial resolve alone; it requires the wholehearted commitment of the police force itself.

The disturbing tendency among certain policemen to treat brutal assaults on people in custody as routine has by no means disappeared. A complaint of this nature surfaced recently from Kundara in Kollam. Such barbaric and reprehensible conduct must not be tolerated under any circumstances. Since assuming office, the government has also implemented Operation Toofan through the Home Department, and the campaign has made encouraging progress. It represents a firm declaration that the state will not yield to the growing menace of narcotics, which has had a damaging impact on the younger generation and society at large. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala's determination in pursuing this campaign deserves recognition. Ultimately, the success of any initiative depends on the vision, planning and sincerity of those entrusted with implementing it. One can only hope that the promise of police stations that deal with the public in a courteous and humane manner does not remain confined to official announcements.