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Law & Order

Efficiency of the police can be enhanced despite lack of resources, feels Prashant Pandey

Policing the Delhi police The performance of the Delhi police in the courts this past year was commendable with the conviction rate going up to 55 per cent. A look at the reasons behind this success indicates that, with a bit of extra effort, the efficiency of the police can be enhanced despite lack of resources and a slow criminal judicial system.

In the past couple of years, the police leadership had begun paying attention to the reasons behind low conviction rates, high number of strictures from courts and acquittals.

One of the reasons for such failures was absenteeism. The Legal Cell of the Delhi police then began monitoring the courts. Last year they monitored more than 2,000 courts, as compared to about 1,500 in the two previous years. If the investigating officer was found to be absent, it was reported not only to his department head but also to the Police Commissioner.

Subsequently, action was taken against those who were absent without any genuine explanation. "This ensured that not only the investigating officer but the witnesses were also present in the court on the dates of hearing," says an officer. Last year, absenteeism went down by about half and not a single order was passed by the court ex-parte.

Another aspect that required a serious look was the officers' ability to argue their cases. The Legal Cell, therefore, now also studies the grounds on which cases fell through earlier and informs the departments concerned about the same. This, in the long run, will ensure that loopholes would be plugged.

Strictures were another constant irritant for the police. They not only affect those particular cases but also send out negative signals, through media reports, that the police were either lax in their approach or simply did not know their job. On the other hand, the criminals get emboldened because they nurse a feeling that they would get reprieve from the court even if they get arrested. In 2005, not a single stricture was passed by Delhi High Court against the Delhi police.

One of the ways to prevent embarrassing moments for the police in the courts was prior information. Computerisation of records in the Legal Cell has enabled it to inform the investigating officers concerned about the next dates of their hearing in advance. Every fortnight the list of cases to come up is sent to the districts and departments concerned. This obviously helps the investigating officer in being prepared for the case.

There can probably be nothing more depressing than a well-meaning police officer seeing all the efforts of his investigations going down the drain in the court for lack of strategic planning or on a minor technical ground. It is in this context that the work done by the Legal Cell -- which has only 24 personnel and works in coordination with legal cells set up in districts -- is to be appreciated.

If the rate of conviction has to go up further, there are several other things that need to be improved.

Thorough training of investigating officers, having dedicated officers for investigations and collection and analysis of forensic and other scientific evidence are some of them. But they will take their own time coming.

The efforts made by the Legal Cell, under direct supervision of the top cop, also augur well for more than one reason. First, there is an inclination to institutionalise these processes so that a change of the incumbent would not affect the efficiency. Second, it has shown that there is no need to lie in inertia waiting for everything in the criminal jurisprudence to be set right.

Also, with an improved conviction rate, the morale of the police officers who may otherwise begin an investigation thinking that the accused will be able to get away in the court anyway will be boosted. After all, ensuring conviction of an accused is the ultimate professional satisfaction a well-meaning investigating officer hopes to get.

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