Community-based policing is a project initiated and implemented by the police in active partnership with the local community / neighbourhood / citizen groups / business community for identifying the needs and solving issues related to the common safety and security requirements of the local community. Various states have been experimenting with community policing including Kerala through Janamaithri Suraksha Project, Rajasthan through Joint Patrolling Committees, etc

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Goals of Community Policing:

• Improving the quality of life and ensuring safer living conditions by motivating and facilitating community members and other community interest groups to organize themselves into problem solving groups in partnership with the police
• Educating people on their rights, eligibilities and responsibilities in relation to criminal law
• Fostering a sense of respect for the legal process and eliminate fear of police in the minds of the people.

Benefits of Community Policing:

• Improved community initiative and response for crime prevention, problem solving and conflict resolution
• Enhanced community support for policing efforts
• Improved public safety and sense of security in the community
• Reduced fear of crime
• Improved law abiding nature in the community
• Improved sense of voluntarism in the community to solve common problems through collective approaches
• Enhanced trust, improved credibility and image of the police

Issues plaguing the police force:

• Operational Freedom: The Indian Police Act provides for the political superintendence of police force. This provision has been widely misused by political leaders both in the state as well as centre and has become a bottleneck in effective policing in the country. Political interference in police functioning and the political executive’s hold over the force.
• Crime Investigations: Crime investigation requires skills, training, time, resources, and adequate forensic capabilities. However, the Law Commission and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission have noted that state police officers often neglect this responsibility because they are understaffed and overburdened with various kinds of tasks.
• An overburdened force: Currently, there are significant vacancies within the State police forces and some of the Central armed police forces. Most of the police personnel have to undergo a 12-hour duty on a daily basis without week off. Problems of overwork, lack of leave, poor dietary habits due to long hours of duty, lack of decent housing and so on are just some of the issues they face.
• Vacancies: India’s ratio of police persons per 1,000 people is 1.2, which is grossly below the United Nation’s recommendation. There are huge vacancies in almost every state, especially in the non-Indian Police Service posts
• Constabulary related issues: The constabulary constitutes 86% of the State police forces and has wide-ranging responsibilities. The Padmanabhaiah Committee and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission have noted that the entry-level qualifications and training of constables do not qualify them for their role.
• Police infrastructure: Modern policing requires a strong communication support, state-of-the-art or modern weapons, well-trained staff, Efficient Utilisation of funds and a high degree of mobility. The CAG and the BPRD have noted shortcomings on several of these fronts.
• Police-Public relations: The police – public relation in India lies under the shadow of distrust. People view police as corrupt, inefficient, politically partisan and unresponsive. This state of police – public relation needs an overhaul which is essential for an effective policing in the country.
• Accountability of the police to the larger community and their attitudes towards tribal, marginalised, Dalit and women complainants.
• The attitude of the citizen and male police officials is hardly praiseworthy when it comes to policewomen who are not from the IPS cadre. Their training, postings, etc, need to receive urgent attention.

Measures needed:

• Policing is, or rather should be, aimed at providing a safe ­environment to the community.
• As noted by experts, it is the only non-combatant organisation that can use force against citizens and curtail their liberty.
• Such power must be tempered by its own moral and social consciousness.
• The initiative announced by the Maharashtra police must take these factors into account when it institutionalises the best community practices.
• An Independent Complaint authority: To instil faith among citizen and to overcome police misconduct, an independent complaint authority is the demand of the time.
• Modernization of policing Infrastructure: Policing infrastructure in India is archaic in most of the towns in India. The system needs continuous budgetary support to overhaul the policing infrastructure in the country.
• A modern patrolling system, modern equipment, communication system, forensic labs are the need of the hour.

Conclusion:

Safe and efficient internal security is need of the hour for sustainable economic growth for India particularly in the light of complex security threats. It is essential to now look at the police as a service organization meeting those needs of the society that are essential for safety, security, quality of life and peace.