Editor,
On September 26, 2011, India Today’s special issue covered a story with a headline ‘Friend or Foe?’ examining the problems of the police force in India.
The opposition Congress on Monday spoke on the plaguing force by going the extra mile requesting the Meghalaya government to terminate police personnel who do not meet the physical requirements.
Policing in India brings a grim reminder of a colonial spent force which is attuned to using highhandedness tactics to tame anti-societal elements or petty criminals add to the level of corruption which climbs higher with rank. Extortion to bribery for failure to comply with law, their range of powers is unlimited in areas such as drug trafficking, gambling dens, traffic penalty among others.
As with grooming the force, high-profile individuals have backed some of these bloated personnel, so to uproot this sore, one needs to understand the nexus between different parties. A strong political will is necessary to trim the flab, giving space for good nutritionists, psychologists and fitness trainers in reshaping a people force rather than a militarised one.
There was a synergy between the police and different stakeholders to break the morale ground of GNLA in 2018 which can be termed as ‘population centric’ warfare so one needs to pay careful attention to mental resilience apart from physical prowess.
Former Deputy Commissioner, Counter Terrorism, New York City Police Department Michael A. Sheehan always laid clear indications on a vetted force which removes troubled officers which is critical for success and a small size force which is paid well so that they do not fall prey to street-level dealings.
Christopher Gatphoh,
Laitkor Rngi, Shillong-10
