Problems Faced by Indian Police

The spurt of socio-economic activities in India after Independence has brought about revolutionary changes in the pa tens of Indian society, hi the modem age of economic activities and political awakening, the police have to perform arduous task of law enforcement and preservation of peace with utmost care and caution. Its main purpose is to protect the innocent from the depredation of criminals.

This involves two main tasks viz., to act as the watch and ward to prevent crime and to chase out criminals who have committed crime and bring them before a court of law for trial and punishment. The criminals always try to outsmart the police and the police makes efforts to find out the culprit by using scientific means. In this process the police are confronted with a number of problems.

Firstly, the problems faced by police during investigation render their job difficult, particularly because of lack of public cooperation and support. People are generally not willing to testify against the offender due to risk of threats and violence and tiresome criminal law procedure.

Secondly, people are most unwilling to help police in crime detection and apprehending the offender due to fear of possible harassment at the instance of police officials. In India, Police has a very low profile in the eyes of public and there is a general distrust for them.

Thirdly, the lack of sense of social responsibility among people is also one of the reasons for their apathy and callousness in not coming forward to help the police. Even in serious accident cases the victim is not immediately removed to hospital until the arrival of police on the spot.

Fourthly, the recent criminalisation of politicians provides undesirable protection to professional offenders and all sorts of pulls and pressures are exerted on the police to be lenient with the offender and sometimes they are even compelled to drop the proceedings against the criminal. This has a demoralising effect on police force which goes to the advantage of offenders.

Criminalisation of politics has in turn resulted in criminalisation of police. It has produced and promoted a culture of impunity that allows the wrong type of policeman to get away with his unwarranted acts of commission and omission.

Fifthly, there is a general tendency on the part of courts to look with suspicion the evidence put forth by police. The provision contained in Section 25 of the Evidence Act which provides that a confession made to a police officer is not admissible as evidence in a court of law, at times creates hardships to the police in the investigation work and establishing the guilt of the accused.

The Police organisation in India is functioning under the Indian Police Act, 1861, as modified in 1912 which has become outdated and outmoded. The police in India, as it exists today, cannot tackle the problems of developing society effectively with their multifarious activities.

The mounting problems of law and order and increasing incidence of violence have badly shattered the efficiency of the police administration. It is for this reason that the National Police Commission in its report submitted in May, 1981 had suggested for a new draft Police Act to cope with the new challenges and an exercise in this direction has already begun at the instance of the Home Ministry of the Central Government.

With a view to revitalising the police administration, a number of States appointed Commissions to suggest reforms in police working but nothing substantial could be achieved because of a general feeling that police is an unproductive and unrewarding necessity. Public distrust for police is mainly due to misuse of powers by the police and its low profile of being rough and tough with people who come in contact with police personnel.