The quality of life in a Democracy is directly linked to the quality Police service it has. People expect the Policeman to be a jack of all trades, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. Ramsay Clarke (1971) states that the "Modern Policeman must be a law enforcer and a lawyer; scientist in a whole range of physical sciences; medic; psychologist; social worker; human relations expert; marriage counselor; youth advisor; athlete; public servant-these are but a few of the many skills that a Police officer must personally posses and perform them with excellence. Safety of life and property, equal justice, liberty, confidence in the Government and the purpose of laws depend on the Policeman". Why are we not seeing such Policemen in India? The reasons are not far to seek. No attempt has been made in India to provide professional education to the Police personnel.

Dawn of Independence brought in its wake all round resurgence of economic and administrative development in the Country. Dynamic and farsighted leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel foresaw the need to build up a modern Police Service in India to ensure peace and tranquillity, which are so essential for economic development and also wanted Police to serve as a vehicle for National integration. They established the Indian Police Service, the Central Police Training College- later named as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, The Central Detective Training Schools, the Central Forensic Science Laboratories, and the Directorate of coordination for Police wireless, etc. They also encouraged formation of All India Fora like the Inspectors General Conference, the Conference of Deputy Inspector Generals in charge of the Criminal Investigation, All India Police Games, All India Police Duty Meet, All India Police Science Congress etc. in an attempt to unify the Police Forces in India and to ensure high level of Professionalism. The Union Government also gave modest financial assistance for Modernisation of Police Forces and for Police Housing.

In spite of these efforts, many circumstances conspired to prevent Police in Free India from emerging as a modern Police Service. Treated as a non-developmental activity, Police was kept out of the Five-Year Plans and consequent liberal funding. As Law and Order is a State Subject under the Constitution, the impoverished States could hardly afford the financial outlay needed for a complete overhaul of Police Service. Vested interests in the Civil services did not want the Police to emerge as a People-friendly Service and an inexperienced political leadership in the States did not have the vision or foresight to overrule the entrenched bureaucracy and give the Police its due. Added to this, Freedom opened the floodgates of suppressed aspirations of the people resulting in emergence of many politically motivated violent movements. Serious law and order problems like Terrorism, Insurgency, Extremism, Communal and Caste Violence, Linguistic agitations etc. rocked the Country and the threatened State used Police to suppress them. Often, this resulted in Police high-handedness and violation of Human Rights, which gave the handle to political activists to widen the chasm between the Police and the People. The anti-people role of the Police during the ‘Emergency’ proclaimed by Smt.Indira Gandhi in 1975 gave wide powers to Police to put down democratic dissent. This resulted in the alienation of opposition Political parties by the Police. When they came to power with the decline of the Indian National Congress, the Police were left in this wide world friendless.

Maligned by the Public, misused by the Politicians and neglected by its own leaders, Police in India became a veritable uncontrollable Leviathan. There were many attempts to redeem the situation with the establishment of Police commissions and their valuable suggestions were never implemented-the last one being the Report of the National Police Commission, which is gathering dust in the Ministry of Home Affairs for over two decades.

It is an undeniable fact that in the last five decades, Police stood as the bulwark against disintegration and anarchy and thousands of policemen have given their lives to protect the integrity and sovereignty of the Nation. Police cannot fulfil their expected roles in a Democratic Society without the support of the People and the latter would not extend cooperation unless the Police became people-friendly. We are faced with the classic paradox, which one should come first. To cut this Gordian knot, there is need to build up a Professional Police Service on modern lines.

At present, many educated youth want to make the Police Service as their career and most of them desire to do so for wrong reasons. The spirit of Service comes last in their priorities and other mercenary considerations affect their perception and performance. To rectify this situation serious attempts are to be made to provide the necessary inputs-knowledge, skills, attitudes and habits- to convert the raw youth into social workers in uniform. Gore committee on Police Training (1972) attempted to do this at the Police Training Institutions by providing elaborate curricula and syllabii. On the ground, it was found that implementation of these recommendations did not make any improvement in the situation. Time at Police Training institutions neither had adequate time nor resources to implement the syllabus. Policemen who could be taken away from field duties doubled up as academics.

For majority of the candidates opting to join the Police, it was neither their primary desire in life nor their personal goal is to serve the people through Police Service. In all professions, before one is admitted, he has to demonstrate a desire to join that profession by acquiring the required qualifications and training. One cannot be a Doctor, Lawyer, Chartered Accountant, etc. without first acquiring the knowledge about that profession by passing the prescribed professional academic courses. For Police Service, which is the most difficult profession in Society, no such requirements are there. Anyone with the prescribed minimum general educational and physical qualifications can join the Police Service. For many, it is the last opportunity to get a Government job after having failed in attempts to enter other fields. Since they had in the first place no desire to be a policeman and as they were forced to be one, due to circumstances beyond control, their heart is not in the job and all the inputs given in the Police training institutions fail to inspire or motivate them.

To remedy this situation, it is proposed that all those who wish to join the Police service as a career, should demonstrate their desire by undergoing a specialised academic programme in Police Sciences prior to their entry. There should be a three tier academic programme. A two-year Certificate Course in Police Sciences beyond the Matriculation, Tenth Grade, to be prescribed as the minimum educational qualification for joining as a Police Constable; a Three Year Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Police Sciences beyond Secondary School Stage (plus two) or Certificate in Police Sciences, be prescribed as the minimum qualification for joining Police Service at Sub-inspectors level; and a Two Years Masters Programme in Police Sciences, beyond Bachelor’s Degree in Police Sciences.

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