The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : ‘Community policing in one municipality in each district’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

‘Community policing in one municipality in each district’

Staff Reporter

Consensus over move to check mafia: Kodiyeri

Aim is to give
the police a
people-friendly face
Project will help understand the problems of the area

Thiruvananthapuram: Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said here on Tuesday that the State Government’s community-based policing initiative, Janamaithri Suraksha Project (JSP), will soon be implemented in at least one municipality in every district.

Inaugurating a State-level consultation meeting on community policing, Mr. Balakrishnan said there was consensus across the political spectrum to check mafia activity in the State. The Legislative Assembly’s unanimous approval of the Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act was indicative of this trend.

Nearly 1.5 lakh people were arrested in Kerala annually. Most of these arrests were made in connection with traffic offences, which were categorised as involuntary crimes. A significant number of people were arrested in connection with crimes committed impulsively. Only a small section of people fit the definition of criminals.

Mr. Balakrishnan said community policing did not mean that the police were divesting themselves of their duties. It was aimed at giving the police a people-friendly face.

The project would enable the police to better understand the problems of the community and devise location-specific policing strategies with inputs from law-abiding citizens.

K.T. Thomas, former Supreme Court judge, said the police should use force only in a defensive mode. The police had no special right to resort to physical violence. Custodial torture was the worst form of crime. Police stations should not become sanctuaries for lawbreakers in uniform. The police should instil a sense of security and confidence in citizens. Community-policing should not be confused with vigilante action. Recently, citizens in Bhagalpur had lynched 10 migrants on the suspicion of committing theft in Bhagalpur.

Community policing shou ld help the police and public develop a mutually beneficial relationship based on trust and principles of law. Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy said credibility was the strength of the police and it should be preserved at all costs.

Director-General of Police Raman Sreevastava, Additional Director-General of Police Jacob Punnoose and Inspector-General of Police B. Sandhya spoke.

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