nCorruption is a deep rooted malaise in the Indian policing system but has never been addressed. Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has initiated steps to get to the bottom and dig out the dominant factors behind the “corruption in police”.
Interestingly, the bureau has decided to rope in services of journalists who have especially covered crime and policing for long, across the country. The bureau is to short list a total 25 scribes who are on field covering crime and corruption in policing system, and take their views and writings on record for the first time.
According to an official, the bureau has embarked upon the tedious process to analyse the level of corruption in Indian policing system. For example; ways and means of demanding and accepting bribes and cases of corruption registered against police officials are also being analysed. The whole process is aimed at taking measures to check corruption in police system across the country.
BPR&D is going to carry out a detailed study of police system of 12 states; two states each covering North, South, East, West, Central and North East regions, the official added.
According to the data by BPR&D as on January, 2017, the total police forces across the country comprises of 2, 464, 484 and the population per policemen is 518. There are total 15,579 police stations and 9,087 police posts across the country. Out of total 15, 579 police stations, 10,052 are in rural areas, 4998 are in urban areas and 529 are at railways. Currently there are 60 cities across the countries with police commissionerate system. Out of total police force, 113 posts are of DGP, 325 of Additional DGP, 652 of IGP and 572 are DIG and rest of SP and Deputy SP, Inspectors, sub inspectors and constabulary force.
“We have also planned to meet of 100 citizens in each of the 12 states and 50 officers of all ranks working in the vigilance departments in each of the states,” the officer said. The Bureau will also interact with non government organizations in each of the states.
A recent survey by Transparency International (TI), an anti-corruption global civil society organization, this year states that India has the highest bribery rate among the 16 Asia Pacific countries surveyed. However, the bureau task is limited to look into the corruption in policing system and find ways to eventually weed it out.