Here is a stimulating portrait for us to brood over in these disconcerting times. It is late in the evening. The constable neatly places his shoes in a corner outside the room and enters. He pours a little sanitiser on his hands and rubs them together, cautiously removes the mask and pockets it, and proceeds to sit on the floor. He is careful not to sully the uniform.
He opens the food packet given to him for what will be the first meal since early that morning. He has been toiling for hours in the special control room set up by his superiors, attending to calls from the public and communicating information received to field units.
He is getting married in a couple of months and for a brief minute, allows himself the luxury to daydream. But he must hurry. He has to be back at the desk within an hour because his replacement has called in sick with mild fever and a persistent cough. That means a further eight hours of duty for him.
‘Cog in Gigantic Police Machinery’
This young man is merely a cog in the gigantic police machinery. The police not just in India but around the world are tasked with multiple duties, specially the prevention and detection of crime, and the maintenance of law and order.
Being the visible arm of government, they have to deal with both individual and popular grievances on a regular basis. They have to be patient, firm, empathetic, and professionally sound.
They have to be well-versed with the law of the land, and also cater to the requests of people’s representatives. Theirs is a public service in the truest sense.
The policemen in India, and increasingly the policewomen too, take steps to prevent crime and ensure a secure place to live and work in. When a crime does occur, they try to detect it by following the given procedure of investigation.
They operate in an atmosphere of conflicting pulls, attempting a very fine balance. They manage vehicular traffic and are expected to be the first to intervene in cases of road accidents. The Indian police have to ensure the safety of important persons, working on perceptions of threat. They allow for the smooth passage of such persons.
They gather intelligence and are taken to task for any adverse information not successfully gathered. They have to recruit and even train their own kind. They have to be sensitive to the needs of senior citizens, women and children. Sometimes, they shed blood.
Popular Perceptions Have Maligned Their Image
In doing all of this and more, the police need to be ever conscious of its image, already maligned by years of ridiculous and exaggerated depictions. Popular perception is a dangerous thing as it can enslave you in pre-fabricated models.
You become a prisoner of the perception and start answering to its call. It is no longer just another job, no matter how hard your well-wishers try to rub that in. Your job is your life because there is little time for anything else. Hobbies and vacations are not easy to pursue.
Most policemen and policewomen in India, as well as members of their families, face acute stress due to the failure to balance expectations of their immediate society with the harsh reality of their duties.
None of this is newfound knowledge, but it’s not imagination either. The police in India have failed to build the right narrative around what they do. This is by no means an attempt to defend the indefensible. But it is an attempt to kindle some thoughts. For all the brickbats and allegations, for all the public scrutiny and mammoth expectations, insults and lack of personal space, what do the police get in return? What do they expect?
In the hierarchy of needs, most police personnel are probably well-ensconced at the bottom. Their entire span of career is a struggle to meet the physiological needs. There is little security of life, no sense of belonging, low self-esteem in most cases and complete lack of self-actualisation.
But there is pride, and the satisfaction of wearing the uniform every morning. It is a pleasure which words cannot describe. And as for their expectations, perhaps a handshake will do. Or even a smile and a nod. And we can possibly, for once, be proud of our police.
(The author is an IPS officer of West Bengal cadre. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)
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