Delhi police face tide of complaints

By Ayanjit Sen BBC correspondent in Delhi

Complaints against policing in the Indian capital, Delhi, have risen sharply recently, according to the city's force.

Police have had 40 criminal cases filed against them in three months

There have been several reports of policemen detaining people illegally, or beating them up to extort money.

A policeman was arrested last month for shooting dead a truck driver whom he had quarrelled with.

Experts say these incidents reflect growing anger and indiscipline in police ranks and blame it on stress and poor working conditions.

The police's internal watchdog is said to have filed more than 40 criminal cases against its colleagues in the past three months.

A joint commissioner of the city's police, Kanwaljeet Deol, told the BBC that incidents such as the truck driver's killing were rare.

I barely manage meals with my salary. Since we are cops, we can't even commit a robbery Delhi policeman Your views on the police in India

But several policemen have been booked for corruption and indiscipline, she said.

She described the rise in cases against officers as a "new trend", but added that the force was taking action against the culprits.

Ms Deol said some police officers had been dismissed while others were stripped of their ranks.

"We also have what we call a 'doubtful integrity' list and who is on that list does not get a promotion or a good transfer," she said.

'Law turns outlaw'

According to estimates, 1,440 cases of beating or torture, 269 of extortion and 726 of illegal arrests or detention were registered against policemen in Delhi during June and July this year.

In one case, three policemen were suspended after they allegedly pushed a man from the terrace of his house because he would not give them the money they had asked for.

A few months ago, a child was killed by a policeman driving out beggars from a Hindu temple, reports said.

"These are cases of the law turning outlaw," said a former police officer.

There have also been reports of policemen shooting each other over minor rows.

The police say officers work under a lot of stress and there are not enough welfare measures for the 60,000-strong force.

Hidden anger

"The policemen are taught how to deal with pressure and also use minimum force - but sometimes, they fail to adhere to these," said a senior officer.

Psychiatrist Pradeep Agarwal says buried anger comes out on duty

Psychiatrists say policemen behave badly because they believe they can get away with anything.

They become arrogant because they have a weapon with them, experts say.

A leading psychiatrist in Delhi, Dr Pradeep Agarwal, said some police officers developed stress because of the long hours they worked.

They also spent less time with their families because of their jobs.

"This hidden anger in them comes out on the streets," said Dr Agarwal.

A policeman posted near a high security government building in Delhi told the BBC that he and his colleagues worked 12-hour shifts for six days a week.

"I meet my kids late at night... this work pressure is because we do not have enough staff," said the policeman.

"I barely manage meals with my salary. Since we are cops, we can't even commit a robbery," he said.

His meagre salary, he said, was his only incentive to work.

Here is a selection from the e-mails you sent us about the police in India.

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The best deterrent to police curruption is a decent living wage. The old adage applies. If you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
K Shah, India

Why don't the Indian government instead of putting money in all those weapon deals, instead look into the state of Indian policemen who turn to bribery due to meagre salary they recieve.
Ballu Pillai, India

This is true that Indian police work in the worst conditions one can imagine. But they don't have sympathy of citizens. Why? Main reason behind rampant corruption is machinery. Police feels proud and bravery in terrifying common man whereas bad guys rules the street under police protection. I would never go to police to lodge a complaint against small crime against me. Police have lost all trust of citizens. What they are facing today is outcome of their deeds. If they want to change their work conditions then they should do it on their own.
Himanshu Jani, India

It is normal for the police who have to face a lot of corruption at the higher levels and even face transfers if the bribe is not paid. Only way is to be spiritual and depend on GOD which they rarely even think about due to the materialistic world around them and the worshiping of things other than GOD... like money, lust, power, etc. So, only GOD and his people can help by praying and guiding these individuals while psychiatrists find out what can be done to cut down same. GOD guides our leaders and people and psychiatrists too.
John, India

Police have a bad image in public because of their irregular duties. If a moderator himself does not do enough judgement with his duty, what will be the impact on his followers. They should make moral for others. Salary is not an excuse for everything and a policeman should content himself for what he gets. As a policeman minimum gets Rs 2500 in their job and that's enough for a simple life. For inprovement in police, they should be given military lessons every six months.
Sampat Kumar, India

This is a complex problem which needs multifaceted solutions. 1. The policemen in Delhi and elsewhere in India are paid meagre salaries. They get a status of law enforcers but not a life which is up to that standard. It is a fact that if they live honestly, they cannot even properly afford meals for their family. Moreover they work in extremely stressful conditions. Hence the curroption, frustration and violence follow naturally. It is important that they be paid well so that they can maintain their morale and moral. 2. The structure of police force follows from the colonial days and hence the culture. The policemen in India have always felt themselves as 'masters' of law and not 'enforcers' of law. It is important that the structure and functioning of the organization be fundamentally changed and new relationship with public be ushered in.
Sandeep Raghuwanshi, India

They should have a better salary and eight hours shift work. They should have better working conditions.
Chandrakant B Gandhi, USA

Obviously, the first thing that's needed is better pay and conditions, especially for the lower ranks. It's common knowledge in India that it's almost imposable to live on a policeman's salary; what kind of recruits can be expected to join under these circumstances? Furthermore, there needs to be better health and welfare provisions for officers. Why should they worry about losing a job so unrewarding?
Mark Holden, netherlands

If every Indian paid his just dues in taxes to the government then perhaps the government would have the neccessary funds to improve the pay of our policemen or at least bring it on par with the army. The only indivual paying taxes is the salaried class. Ever seen a merchant pay his just share of income and sales taxes? You can't eliminate corruption in toto but it can be lessened by paying the poor police constable a more deserving salary.
V Batura, USA

They should set an example and build trust. Let them give what they should give to the nation. The nation will give them what they deserve. They are citizens too after all.
Ram Reddy, United Kingdom

For salary we cannot do anything. Because it exactly what everyone is paid across the country. The things we need to do for policemen is 1. Free and comfortable clothing. 2. Round the clock schedule but, short hours intervals - say six hours. 3. They need to act responsible in a way they are respected in other European countries. They all need to maintain a great degree of respect to the job they are performing. Dedication and Sincerity. Not just Police. Every single individual should fee that they are doing a great job for their nation and have respect and pride in what they are doing.
Bala, US

Policing needs to be improved from the top downwards and not the other way round or nothing will ever materialize. Unlike the army where every officer is responsible for providing leadership to the men under him, in the police the IPS officer seems to lack the motivation to represent the men he commands. Each individual in the police is for himself. Quoting an IPS officer: "they look after themselves and we look after ourselves." If this is the attitude of the leadership what better do you expect from the man patrolling the streets? While it is true that the police force is understaffed and overworked the problem is really in the way it's managed. It lacks even the basic command structure with IPS officials simply filling in the slots.
Ankur Bhagat, US

Its so simple this question borders on stupidity. Less hours or more wage! Any one of these changes. Even the policemen are tired of asking for "hafta" (bribes). Let them do their duty, and help our country!
Abhishek, India

It is just not the cops at the lower grade - even high and middle ranking officials need disciplined. And more so, some political elements who disappoint the morale of the police force. The whole legal system needs cleansing.
Vikrant Bhatia, India

Indian police are still in the Raj era. A change in attitude is mandatory. Training helps? Might be worth experimenting. Human rights organizations should have more powers, including dismissal authority. Right now police can get away from all these crimes without getting punished. Politicians should stop using police. There is a lot of influence still on promotions and transfers. Since police may need to take decisions on the spot, let us get someone educated. India has a good pool of educated youth. Let the minimum qualification be a degree. Compensation is still a problem. But they are on a par with most of the central government employees. A strict policing of police force might also improve. But it should be a neutral government body like Human Rights Group. It must not be politicians.
Sijo, India

The best thing to do would be possibly to put in the American metropolitian system in place as against the ex-British system we follow. Also a commitee of locals randomly selected who must be allowed to vote on promotion of the junior cops
Siddharth, India

I think police are way underpaid in India. Look at them, while the software techies are earning in tens of thousands, these people who are responsible for people's protection are payed few thousands a day.
Arun, Sweden

The government should take a few steps to modernise the police force. 1. Allocate police force units to small communities. 50% salary from government 50% from community to provide the security. The community should have a say in deciding how much security they need. 2. Security costs for politicians should be paid by the politicians and then refunded by the government. This will give a clear picture as to how much is it really costing to protect the politicians. 3. Any political, cultural or social event should pay a part of the costs occured for posting the police force at the venue. The money earned should be invested in modernising the force with modern equipment and training. This should improve the morale of the force. Of course, there are many more things which could be done. If and only if the government of India wants to do it.
Amit Marathey, India

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