Revamping the police force

Stating that the most important element in tackling terror is an efficient, motivated police force, D. S. Soman stresses on the need to revamp the police machinery with modern equipment and training. He also calls for a strong leadership in the force that will stand up to the pressures of politicians who are working against the interest of the nation.

It is typical of our country that when a serious incident like an act of terrorism takes place there is a hue and cry against the security forces. Normally, it is intelligence which has failed - not the government which should have provided manpower and equipment to fight the menace. For a few days, a fierce debate rages on, the police forces are roundly condemned for their failure to keep a watchful eye on the perpetrators and later on for not being able to nab them. The government concerned on its part makes handsome promises to boost efficiency of the police force and takes vigorous steps to raise the standards. No reference is made to similar unfulfilled promises made in the past. The public is assured that security is being tightened and the guilty will be punished once they are found. The debate and the assurances go on for some time as long as the incident is fresh in the minds of the public. After a few days, all this is forgotten and the government concerned continues with its slothful ways. It is then business as usual - public memory being short - until some other disaster strikes. This is a familiar exercise by now and people are unaware that the political class leading our country is taking the public for a ride.
Terrorism is a serious problem and unless it is tackled in all seriousness it will not be possible to bring it under control. The most important element to fight terrorism is an efficient, motivated police force. One look at the various police forces in our country is enough to depress even the most diehard optimist. It is necessary to face the truth that almost all the security forces are politicised. The loyalty of the force is not to the laws of the country but to the political class that runs the government. As things stand, most of the state governments in our country are in a state of flux - most of them are coalitions cobbled together to share power. There is hardly any feeling of patriotism in them. Almost all the politicians today have a one-point programme - how to make more and more money as most of them do not know what the next day may bring for them.
This is not all. Some functionaries in the government are aligned to the criminal class. We thus have the spectacle of some politicians continuing as legislators even while criminal cases are pending against them. The spacious argument in their favour is that they have not been convicted of the offence/s charged. This argument overlooks the important fact that access to the government machinery gives this class an opportunity to take full advantage of the machinery to find an escape route from the crime charged. The recent decision of the central government to go slow in the enquiry into disproportionate assets case against Mulayam Singh Yadav is a case in point. Since almost all the political parties have this tainted class nobody wants to talk about this subject. All the same it has a very demoralising effect on the security forces.
Apart from all this very few police forces today are in good shape. They lack strong leadership which will stand up to the pressures from the politicians. The main reason is that the powers-that-be select only pliable senior police officers to head the police force. Thus, as Malay Dhar, a former police officer, who spent long years in intelligence services pointed out in his book, the home minister in one of the eastern states was aligned with the terrorist group operating in his state and, yet, nothing could be done against them although the central government was apprised of it.
One marked difference between an ordinary criminal and a terrorist is that the modern terrorist is a young, educated man indoctrinated in the philosophy of his goal and dedicated to his cause whatever it may be. He is fully committed to the goal set before him. He is armed with the most modern lethal weapons and has a state-of-the-art communication equipment to keep with his master. In contrast, the Mumbai policeman is largely found with a rifle of ancient vintage. Religion has acted as a cementing bond among these terrorists. They are well organised and have no shortage of funds. They are trained either in Pakistan or now in Bangladesh and infiltrating in our country poses no difficulty for them. Indeed, if reports coming from across our borders are to be believed getting through our porous borders is a simple task since the corrupt machinery on the border which passes off as a security force has its hands greased well. It may be recalled that a very senior officer of one of these security forces had to be summarily dismissed for indulging in corrupt practices. It is high time these security forces are supervised well.
The extent of the problem of terrorism can be gauged from the fact that almost forty per cent of our armed forces are tied in security duties both in Jammu and Kashmir and in the eastern states. This contact of the armed forces with the civilian population has had a damaging effect on them. It is one thing for the armed forces to come to the rescue of the civil forces and then withdraw to the barracks. But, our armed forces have been engaged in security duties for the last few decades. This has resulted in affecting their training and exposure to the locals in their reputation. But, thanks to the policies of the government, if there are any, they have become a part of the security apparatus. This is bound to have very serious consequences in the long run.
What then needs to be done? First of all, the government needs to make up its mind whether it is willing to treat the problem of terrorism with zero tolerance, not only in public announcements but on the ground. There is a reason for me to pose this question. During the days of the regime of the National Democratic Government led by the BJP, an IA aircraft was hijacked by some Pakistani terrorists. They held the civilian passengers to ransom and demanded the release of some dreaded terrorists. This demand was not only conceded but the then foreign minister went to drop the terrorist as an escort! To cap it all, if the then home minister in the same government is to be believed this was done without his knowledge according to the account he has given in his autobiography!
Other steps will then follow. The first is to revamp the policy machinery. This is easier said than done. Law and order is a state subject according to the Constitution of India. Where it is a question of bringing in strong leadership in the police force it will be difficult to convince the local satraps to change their favourites. Not only that, they may raise serious objections to take a certain decision which may be in the interest of the country. It may be recalled that about two years ago when there was an outcry to ban the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) for its anti-Indian activities, the Government of Uttar Pradesh, then headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav, firmly asserted that it saw no reason to ban the organisation as his government saw no objectionable activities against the organisation. A time has come when encouraged by government’s tacit support SIMI has become a strong organisation wreaking havoc with the help it is getting from across the border. While formulating the policy to fight terrorism the GOI must factor these obstacles in their way.
The need to equip the security forces with modern weapons requires hardly any emphasis. The terrorists are armed with deadly weapons and seem to have an endless supply of arms and ammunitions. We must not lag behind them. What is still more important is that we must run refresher courses for our security forces. Let us not forget that of late there has been a remarkable shift in the composition of terrorists. They are being drawn from the locals and when they are not active they are busy mapping their future course. With the help of locals which they easily get it is easy for them to carry out reconnaisance and plan the attack on their targets as has happened in the recent attacks on the Taj, the Trident and the Oberoi Hotels in Mumbai. This change needs to be brought to the notice of local security forces. Refresher training courses will help in educating our security forces on the tactics of the terrorists.
Above all, the intelligence machinery needs to be geared up to face the challenge and the change in the tactics of the terrorists. As things stand, most of the intelligence machinery in the states is in a state of decay. The satraps of the government treat it as their personal outfit to settle scores with their rivals. On top of all this is the “security duty” for the so-called VIPs and a good deal of trained police strength is being wasted on them. This must stop. The country’s interests must take precedence over the security of the VIPs.
By nature, we Indians take security very lightly. Indeed, any measure to improve security is regarded as so much nuisance interfering with the free movement of the individual. This outlook has to change. We must all, without exception, follow security rules wherever they are laid down and also keep a careful eye on those whose activities or behaviour appears suspicious. The challenge we are facing is serious. It is a shame that terrorists are hitting us without let or hindrance.
It has to be recognised that to fight terrorism requires a different kind of training and the ordinary civil police is not up to it. We have to constitute a special force on the lines of the National Security Guards. Some pious resolutions were made some two years ago to raise such force in the state but nothing has been done on the ground. Already during this year we have had 59 incidents of terrorist attacks which left 441 dead but our authorities have not bestirred themselves to tackle the menace. It is time the governments concerned shed this attitude and the laid-back style they are used to and faced the problem squarely.
It is also imperative to face the problem of corruption at all levels. This one single factor has corroded the system beyond recognition and needs to be dealt with. This is largely the responsibility of the political class.
It is not difficult to defeat their purpose if we are determined. It is not enough to rely only on our police forces. Let us all be our own security officers and help maintain peace in our country.

The writer is retired Director-General of Police, Maharashtra and is presently Security Advisor to National Stock Exchange of India and National Securities Depository Limited, Mumbai..

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