Importance of Police System

Police as a functionary of criminal justice system, has to play a crucial role in maintenance of peace and enforcement of law and order within its territorial jurisdiction. Its primary duty is to safeguard the lives and property of the people and protect them against violence, intimidation, oppression and disorder.

Crime prevention certainly involves the services of certain law-enforcement agencies to detect and investigate crimes and apprehend criminals for prosecution in law courts. Usually the transgressions of law are brought to the attention of the police which prepares the grounds for future criminal investigation.

Therefore, the charges against accused having been framed, his trial begins in the appropriate criminal court. The Court records the evidence and decides whether the charges against the accused are proved or not. In case the guilt is proved, the accused is convicted by the Court and sent to prison or some correctional institution to undergo a term of sentence.

Thus a number of functional agencies, notably, the police, the courts and the prisons or after-care institutions, are involved in the administration of criminal justice. To these may be added the institutions of probation and parole which seek to bring about reformation of offenders particularly, the young and juvenile delinquents.

Before entering into a detailed discussion about the functioning of each of these law-enforcing agencies, it must be stated that all criminal trials do not necessarily involve the services of all of these agencies. In several cases the offender is discharged by the police after preliminary investigation while in others, prosecution against the accused is dropped by the court at some stage or he is finally acquitted of the charge.

Again, even after conviction many offenders are released on probation and are not required to be sent to prison or a correctional institution. Those who are sent to prison may also be granted parole. It is thus evident that police has to play a dominant role in the administration of criminal justice.