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LAW & ORDER: A "flop show" in the name of reforms in Delhi police

Even the Sub-Inspector wields more power vis-à-vis the Inspector Investigation, observes ASHOK KUMAR

Almost a year after an additional post of Inspector (Investigation) was created at police stations across the Capital as part of an effort to segregate investigation from the routine law and order task, senior police officers here overwhelmingly believe that the move has achieved little beyond a structural change in the name of reforms.

Describing the whole exercise as a "flop show", the officers damn the creation of the post as mere "eyewash" as it had failed to bring about a meaningful and palpable change in the way investigations are carried out.

"The Inspector Investigation is there just for the name sake as it is the Station House Officer (SHO) who calls the shots at the police station and has the final say even in matters of investigation. In practice, the Inspector Investigation cannot even assign the investigation of a case to a man of his choice. The SHO always has the right to overrule him. The Inspector Investigation has a small number of police personnel at his disposal and he seldom has a vehicle to carry out the enormous job of investigation. In other words, he just has responsibility but no authority," said an officer.

Even the Sub-Inspector wields more power and authority over his subordinates vis-à-vis the Inspector Investigation, who suffers on account of ambiguity in the division of power. "Though at par with the SHO in rank, the Inspector Investigation is treated no better than a sub-inspector. The situation is so bad that no inspector is willing to take up the job of an Inspector Investigation," added one officer.

Even senior police officers agree that putting one officer under the authority of another of equal rank leads to ego clash and lack of coordination between them. "In the present structure, there are three Inspector-level officers at a police station -- an SHO, an additional SHO and an Inspector Investigation. But with the SHO being the overall head of the police station, the other two act under his directions. Instead of having three officers of equal rank at one police station, it would be better to create more police stations and have a single Inspector-level officer at the helm of affairs," said another senior officer speaking on condition of anonymity.

However, an Inspector Investigation observed that the concept was "good" but there were several flaws at the level of implementation. "It is a good attempt to separate investigation from the routine law and order task. But some practical difficulties need to be looked into to achieve the desired results. First, the Inspector Investigation should be exclusively entrusted with the job of investigation, unlike now when he has to perform the routine law and order task as well. Second, at least one-fourth of the staff at a police station should be placed at his disposal. And they should have the aptitude for investigation. Third, the Inspector Investigation should directly report to the Assistant Commissioner of Police of the division and not to the SHO," he suggested.

Senior officers, however, argue that separation of duties at the police station level is a "cosmetic measure" and hardly an answer to the larger objective of qualitative investigation: "The real solution lies in segregation of responsibilities across the organisational hierarchy and not just at the level of the police station. To bring about conspicuous changes in the way investigations are carried out, separate units should be raised to deal with different kinds of crimes such as homicide, criminal assault, economic offences and cyber crimes. And specialised training should be imparted to them on handling investigation of these crimes. Also, they should be paid and promoted accordingly. It is a mammoth exercise and needs diversion of resources and strong will on the part of the Government to bring about the changes. Nothing less will do."

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LAW & ORDER: A "flop show" in the name of reforms in Delhi police

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