‘Community policing is an effective tool for conflict resolution’

Community policing is the only solution for controlling and eradicating caste, communal and ethnic violence in India. I had developed a community policing model in the form of mohalla committees, wherein members of the society living in that mohalla were selected as members of the Mohalla Committee. They come from all sections of the society. They periodically meet and interact with each other. Age-old prejudices vanish. They celebrate all the religious and national festivals together. They organise friendly cricket, volleyball and kabaddi matches. A good friendship bond is developed. Police also get effective intelligence. Petty disputes get resolved by dialogues in the meeting. Transparency prevails.

What steps should be taken to make the concept (of community policing) more contemporary, popular and relevant in today’s time?

Community policing concept must be made compulsory in training for all levels of the police force. While writing the annual confidential report of all officers and men, there should be a specific remark regarding the knowledge, application and officer’s approach towards this concept.

Community policing is generally seen as a gradual and time-consuming passive form of policing, thus unpopular among the new generation of young police officers. Your views.

In fact, the new generation knows that there is no shortcut to success. Still, some want instant gratification. If it’s incorporated in the training syllabus and in service training, it will help in creating interest in the new generation.

What are the challenges in community policing?

Bureaucracy all over the world is status quoist. The senior and old officers in the force would always resist the change. They do not like the involvement of people in their way of functioning. Once police get power and authority, they become reluctant to talk to the downtrodden people.

Social media is further used to create tension between communities. How can this challenge be effectively tackled?

Social media is a double-edged weapon. If with the use of social media, constant long-term and systematic efforts could be put into removing prejudices in the society, then sporadic rumour-mongering will not affect the situation.

How are Mohalla peace committees doing? Is there any need to revive them?

Nobody has properly studied the basic elements of the mohalla committee. Now it is very superficially designed. They are not being properly implemented and are only shown on the paper for records.

Has enough been done by the state to ensure that these peace committees are allowed to operate in an effective manner?

The government does not seem very interested in having harmony between different religions and different castes. Even senior officers in the force don’t appear to take this issue seriously.