Indian Govt. Mulling Institutionalization Of Community Policing

It was heartening to know that the Indian government is planning to institutionalize community policing, by setting up an exclusive wing for the same. The said wing, to be named 'Community Policing' or CoP, will be a part of the existing police department itself.

It is undoubtedly a very significant development. It is now an established fact that appropriate involvement of community always enhances the quality of the governance. This explains why it has now become such a popular practice for governments across the world to partner with local community members for carrying out various tasks and activities (one notable example is that of “Community Forestry”).

And moreover, community policing has been proved to be a very fruitful tool for curbing crime, with the practice being followed in a number of developed countries for quite some time. No matter how much strong network of informers a police force has, there is no parallel for a system where the common, grass roots level citizens act as the “eyes” and “ears” of the force. All of us are aware of at least a couple of incidents where the alertness of a common citizen has helped the police to smell a crime that is about to take place, and prevent it by taking necessary steps at the right time.

I was also happy to know that new courses and programmes were being developed for being taught in police academy, which aim at sensitizing police personnel on the role they have to play in community policing.

Let’s wish the government all the best for this smart move.

MP Govt. Admits Involvement Of Forest Staff In Tiger Poaching At Panna

Poachers involved in the killings of tigers at Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve enjoy support and co-operation from the very people who are supposed to protect those amazing animals from them – the forest staff.

This painful (but probably not very shocking) fact came to light after the state government was forced to share a report submitted to it in January 2011 by the Filed Director, Panna Tiger Reserve. The government was forced to share the report after an application to that effect was filed by RTI activist Ajay Dubey.

Hopefully the state government will take necessary steps to ensure that Panna does not experience what happened to Sariska. And yes, will the government now accept the Central Government’s proposal for a CBI enquiry into the matter?

Ms. Manusmriti Of India Becomes The 4th Generation Cop, Makes World Record

Ms. Manusmriti of India has made world record by becoming the 4th generation cop in her family. Manusmriti, who has joined India’s elite Indian Police Service (IPS), comes from a family which has been serving the Indian police force generation after generation since 1921 (which means for 90 years).

Her great grandfather Harihar Prasad Verma had joined the police force of the Indian state of Bihar as a Constable in 1921, i.e. when India was under the British rule. He was followed by his son Arbind Prasad (Manusmriti’s grandfather), who joined the Bihar Police as an SI (Sub Inspector) in 1952. He was again followed by his son Kamlendra Prasad (Manusmriti’s father), who joined the IPS in 1981. He is an IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, and is now serving as the Director of the National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science, New Delhi.

And now Manusmriti has lived up to the legacy of her family by joining the IPS. She has joined the Union Territory cadre. She and her father have also made the record of being the only serving father-daughter IPS duo. A bright student, Manusmriti is an alumnus of Delhi’s St. Stephens College and London School of Economics.

However, there has been an example of a 4th generation cop in Canada as well. There is one David Stewart who joined the police force of Vancouver in Canada on 23rd September, 2011. And he is reportedly the 4th generation cop in his family. However, his family has been serving the police force for 82 years, i.e. eight years less than the number of years for which Manusmriti’s family has served the force.

A bagful of congratulations, Manusmriti. The nation wishes you all the best.

At the same time let us wish all the best to our Canadian friend David Stewart. Both David and Manusmriti have lived up to the legacy of their respective families, and we sincerely hope that both of them will prove themselves to be the assets for the police forces of their respective countries.