An efficient criminal justice system helps a country politically, socially and economically.
But political masters show reluctance to implement the Supreme Court-mandated police reforms of 2006. Here is a look at the importance of police reforms.
How important is police reforms?
Social - The social implications of lack of police reforms can be gauged from the report, “Crime in India 2019.”
It was published by the National Crime Records Bureau.
As per the report, more than 25,000 cases of assault on women, close to 12,000 rape cases and 4000 “dowry deaths” have been pending trial for 5 to 10 years.
Economic - The economic cost of the failed criminal justice system is also notable.
It is reflected in the reluctance of foreign companies to set up manufacturing and commercial ventures in India.
They see quick settlement of criminal, labour and civil disputes as a precondition.
What are the other roles performed by police stations?
Besides prevention and detection of crime and maintenance of law and order, police stations in India undertake numerous daily tasks.
They provide verifications and no objection certificates of different kinds to citizens.
They supply crucial documents too.
Police stations also verify domestic help/employees of central and state governments/public sector undertakings/students going abroad for studies.
In a few cases, the special branches are involved; for example, passport verification and issues related to foreigners.
But these NOCs and verifications are not easy to come by.
The procedures are non-transparent and timelines are often blurred, thus encouraging corrupt practices.
What are the reforms needed?
A definite attempt can be made to ensure time-bound delivery of the above-mentioned services to citizens.
Despite the push for digitisation, the online facilities available for getting the above mentioned services are far from ideal.
Users face numerous problems of accessibility to these services.
States thus need to invest more resources to upgrade their e-portals for providing the 45 identified basic services to the citizens.
Adhering to a defined process with a timeline and clear delineation of the levels of police officers involved can ensure transparent and non-corrupt service delivery.
Along with English or Hindi, the state languages should also be incorporated for ease of access to all citizens.
Investigation and prosecution need improvement and all criminal trials must be completed within a year.
Technology-driven service delivery mechanisms can help achieve this.
