Relevance: GS-3: Challenges to internal security through communication networks.
Key Phrases: National Crime Records Bureau data, Community-oriented policing, Padmanabhaiyah Committee, hybrid terrorists, Countering Radicalisation, Sher-i-Kashmir, Sadbhavna, WHAM.
Context:
- According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau data, a total number of 2,243 ‘incidents of violence by anti-national elements’, including the Northeast insurgency, jihadi terrorists, left-wing extremism, and other terrorists were reported between the years 2017–2020.
- Community-oriented policing focuses on roots to curb vulnerability to indigenous sources, whilst simultaneously increasing resistance towards the subversion by exogenous forces.
What is Community Policing?
- Community policing is a philosophy that assumes a positive relationship between police and the public in the quest to control crime and further accumulate their resources to address the exigent concerns of the community.
- The broad concept of community policing has three components: Community partnerships, organisational structure, and problem-solving which mould its understanding and implementation in numerous ways.
- To achieve the best combination of these three components, energy, trust, and patience are requisite for the internal-external mobilisation and involvement of the community.
- A gradual rapport-building is important for police personnel and their team to gain the public’s confidence, wherein social institutions play as assets. And it only catalyses the process when people accept their share of responsibility.
- Community policing as a policy promises to yield long-term results.
- The National Police Commission (1977) and Padmanabhaiyah Committee (2000) recommended community policing as an important part of police functioning.
Why there is a Need for Community Policing?
- Countering Radicalisation:
- Engaging the community in addressing radicalisation and youth alienation reverses the push and pull factors and gives a strong base for creating resistance, adding support to search and other necessary hard power operations.
- Counter Terrorism:
- In the Global Terrorism Index, 2017, the Indian Army’s Central Command noted that an integrated approach with the cooperation of civil society plays a significant role in coordinating state elements to fight terrorism and insurgencies.
- The 2008 Batla House incident and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks are two examples of how a lack of public engagement in crime prevention not only generates distrust but also impairs investigation.
- Insurgency in the Northeast:
- Northeast India has been one of the most disturbed zones in South Asia due to prolonged secessionist and separatist movements of different hues alongside developments like excessive resource extraction, while basic necessities are not met.
- The region affected by geopolitical dynamics and crime-insurgency nexus stipulates stability-resulting counter-insurgency operations.
- The current environment is ideal to ensconce and invigorate community policing practices not only for inner turbulence but also for border management.
- Left-Wing Extremism:
- Ministry of Home Affairs has given special mention to community-oriented policing in dealing with Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in India. National Policy Action Plan 2015 envisages a multipronged strategy that includes ensuring local communities’ rights and entitlements in Maoist afflicted areas.
Various Initiatives in line with community policing:
- Project Prahari by the state government of Assam started in 1996 and has benefited the remote populations in the state and armed conflict-prone areas.
- Tripura Police’s Prayaas, 2011 initiative has proven to be effective in combating insurgency in the state.
- Meghalaya has Village Defence Parties (VDP) but rather than an armed group, it is a volunteering-based collaboration useful in tracking the movement of militants. VDPs ensure the welfare of police officers and their families, as well as the reintegration of militants into normal life.
- Many community policing initiatives like the Mohalla committee in Maharashtra, Janamaithri in Kerala, Friends of Police Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, and Maithri in Andhra Pradesh have produced expected results overall.
- Operation Sadbhavna and other WHAM “winning hearts and minds”, launched by the army to lessen the trust deficit and spot over ground workers in Jammu and Kashmir has certainly been a successful effort.
- The Jammu and Kashmir police force has likewise begun to perceive public support as essential for police efficacy—Sher-i-Kashmir.
Limitations:
- Cannot Solve Ground Problems:
- Community police policing cannot solve ground problems like unemployment and poverty or societal problems.
- Naxalites Killing Innocent Civilians:
- Naxalites killing innocent civilians for helping security forces is altogether a serious matter of concern.
- Organisational Level Limitations:
- Regular police transfers may disturb the rapport built amongst locals.
- Lack of understanding about the community and inhibited citizen involvement may disturb the process.
- Inadequate resources for security forces may fluctuate their motivation.
- When security forces rely too early on public intelligence, it defeats the whole purpose.
Conclusion:
- At a time when police departments around the world are considering reform efforts to foster greater trust between citizens and the police, Community-oriented policing can be a blessing in disguise
- It is an intangible contract between the police and the community that allows them to work together, proactively, to prevent, detect, and solve local-level crime, and disorder in a creative way so that they can keep their neighbourhood crime-free.
- Local law enforcement must recognise that their efforts are crucial to the internal security strategy and that community-oriented policing may be the most effective technique for preventing terrorism and dealing with insurgency circumstances.
Sources: ORFONLINE
Mains Question:
Q. What do you understand by community policing? Why there is a need of community policing in India? (250 Words).
