A Parliamentary standing committee voiced concern that the general perception of police in the country is bad, and that officers are frequently perceived as indifferent to the ordinary man and disadvantaged groups.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Home Affairs, chaired by Congress leader Anand Sharma, was also concerned that certain IPS officials had been accused of corruption.
“The importance of proper training is emphasized.”
“The committee regrets that the public image of police throughout the country is more on the negative side,” it wrote in a report to Parliament this week.
According to the panel, the police are frequently viewed as indifferent to the ordinary man and vulnerable groups.
“While there is no denying the fact that various reasons could be attributed to such behaviour on the part of the police, emphasis on right training in this regard is one of the ways to develop such attributes in the police personnel,” it said.
The committee said it is of the considered view that the shift from an entitlement-based approach to a rights-based approach is needed for a positive change in the attitude of police personnel.
“While there is no denying that different factors could be ascribed to such police behaviour, emphasising proper training in this regard is one of the strategies to build such traits in police employees,” the report stated.
The committee stated that it is of the considered opinion that a move from an entitlement-based to a rights-based approach is required for a beneficial improvement in police officers’ attitudes.
Assess the effectiveness of cops on the ground.
As a result, the committee advised that training institutes make it a priority and focal point of their training programmes to instil soft skills in police officers. It also expressed concern about allegations of corruption against several IPS officers.
As a result, the committee recommended that faculty members at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, where IPS officers are trained, devise a plan to visit districts and assess probationary officers’ performance on the ground during the lean period of their training calendar.
According to the committee, this would provide a practical assessment of the flaws and gaps that could be addressed by improving the training modules further.