Incentivising Police Reforms

Introduction

To encourage states to implement police reforms as recommended by various committees, up to 10% of the overall yearly allocation of the plan of assistance to States for Police Modernisation has been set aside for states that have done outstanding work in this area.

States’ performance in the implementation of the following police reforms has been evaluated for the award of incentives:

• Training of policemen at all levels for upgrading professional skills and for inculcating the right attitude towards the public. 
• Transparent recruitment services.
• Improvement of forensic science infrastructure.
• Replacement of orderly system by a system of attachment of one constable/ helper.
• Promotional prospects for Constables. 
• Computerisation of Police Stations.

Some of the other important suggestions are:

• The representation of women in the police force is around 8.98 percent. Therefore, the 2nd Administrative Reform Commission (ARC) suggested that the overall representation of women in the police should be improved so that they comprise around 33% of the police. 
• Modernisation of arms and weapons. 
• Overall Infrastructure improvement. 
• Increase fund allocation and rational use of allocated funds.
• Police sensitisation about their responsibility toward the society.
• De-politicisation of the police and custodian of maintenance of law and order must stay away from agenda driven politics. (Politicisation is one of the major issues of the Police Force pointed out by the Padmanabhaiah committee).
• Improvement in Intelligence gathering.

There is a need of the hour to carry out Police reforms and incentivise police departments to adopt best practices, and it is time that citizens should put pressure on the government to liberate the police from the clutches of political masters.