IPS officer Suvashis Choudhary's book 'Capital Cops' depicts evolution of Delhi police and it's humane side unknown to the citizens
New Delhi, February 21
The book 'Capital Cops' gives readers an insight on the evolution of Delhi Police from its inception to the present modern age of technology and modernization.
Suvashis Choudhary has shown a humane side of the Delhi Police, it's ethos, history and cultural evolution from the past. The book busts the myth of citizens and how the fact of shedding opaqueness from the police department would bring police and citizens together.
IGP Suvashis Choudhary of the AGMUT 2002 batch served in Delhi Police for over two decades and knows the force from its pulse.
IPS Choudhary was Jt Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) and held several top posts in the Delhi Police before he retired in September, 2021.
Delhi Police is celebrating its 75th Platinum Jubilee Raising Day. Suvashis Choudhary who carries 'Delhi Police in his heart tells us more about his book.
1) The book ' Capital Cops' is the first book written on Delhi Police. What was your thought behind writing this book?
I feel there is a singular lack of awareness about the Delhi Police among the people of Delhi. This is ironical as the citizens pay for the services of the police. And if they are not able to benefit from the presence of the police there's something wrong. Police does not just comprise the vehicles and the policemen seen on the road. There are systems and processes which work continuously. I won't say the system is absolutely noise-less and perfect but it is a working system nonetheless. Then there are things which police can and should not do. The citizens need to know about the systems and processes as well as the limitations under which police work. This will go a long way in improving the trust and the performance of the system. These were the main reasons for writing this book. If I'm able to make even 10% of the younger generation aware I would consider myself successful.
2) Police is often associated with danda or rather force than an institution that is protecting citizens. How can that belief system of citizens change and what should police do to change that?
An opinion poll was conducted sometime in the 90s where the majority of people who had no experience of either visiting a police station or dealing with the police at any level had a very negative image of the police. The perception of people who had dealt with the police was quite positive. This is not to suggest that we wait till such time that 100% of the population interacts with the police. But what we can do is to reach out to the common citizen and especially the youth, make them aware of how police system works to provide the services they are supposed to. At the same time we have to ensure that the personnel at the cutting edge level have to make politeness a credo of their existence. The department also needs to take exemplary action against any infraction by any member of the force however senior he may be. And this should be done in a very transparent manner so that the people’s faith in the police system is gradually established.
3) You are a believer of new age policing and technology. How do you think Delhi Police can shape themselves better in this section?
Police organisations are the earliest adopters of technology, whether it was to replace horses with automobiles or human messengers with wireless systems. Although we are not technology averse, but we have lagged behind as the landscape is changing very fast. Technology is affecting our lives in totally new and unprecedented ways. What we need to do as an organisation is to shed our opaqueness and open up. This will allow technology firms and individuals to study our system and suggest the adoption of new technology in policing areas which have not benefitted much. Furthermore, we need to adopt technology which will sharpen our service delivery systems and improve transparency in dealing with citizens. Today we have such a huge spectrum of technologies including drones and AI to choose from. We also need to use the huge data that our systems generate every day in order to analyse and predict crimes which will go a long way in making our cities and towns safe.
4) You mentioned that police working in Delhi- a national capital often witnesses law and order arrangements and sometime challenges during protests and incidents. How can Delhi Police learn a balanced approach?
Being the capital city, law & order remains one of our main focus. This is also one of the areas which attracts a lot of flak in case of any mishandling or allegations regarding inappropriate use of force. But such mishandlings or the perception of mishandlings are few and far between. We have enormous experience in dealing with protests, agitations and rallies. These are both of a planned nature or totally sudden and unplanned. The accumulated knowledge of handing law and order events needs to be incorporated in institutional memory. Any professional police person knows that protest is an inalienable right of a citizen in a democracy and any law and order arrangement should always try to uphold this in letter and spirit. Once this is done all other things fall in place.
5) Delhi is a mix of history, culture and modernity. How did that affect the policing in Delhi? You mentioned about FIRs in Urdu. Tell us little more about it.
Till sometime back, Urdu language which is very good for legal work was widely used in the force. Even today expressions like roznamcha (Station diary), indraj (entry), adam tameel (not delivered), ishtgasha (complaint case) etc are in use. To say that a person was arrested as per procedure, IOs still write on the arrest memo: hasb jabta giraftari amal me layi gayi. There are numerous things in the present day Delhi police which can be traced to a bygone era. The ubiquitous role of SHO in community life can be traced to his predecessor the Kotwal. Anecdotes of the Kotwal are found in several accounts of medieval Delhi. For instance, even the esteemed Delhiite Mirza Ghalib had a brush with the police of his times, forcing him to spend a night inside the Kotwali which was where Gurdwara Shish Ganj is located in Chandni Chowk. Thus, not just in the use of language but in actual policing work like investigation (tafteesh) and night-patrolling (gasht) also there is a lot of history on display. We need to modernise but also need to keep the good things of the past.
6) Your book shows the humane side of Delhi Police. Please tell us how a policeman or officer is affected and or lives his normal life while working in a challenging city like Delhi?
Policing in Delhi is a very stressful job. Not just in terms of long and arduous working conditions but the nature of work itself. Handling accident or crime victims and dealing with agitated crowds are not something you enjoy doing but have to as a part of your job. Family and especially upbringing of children is neglected. That’s why it is important that supervisory officers of the force need to be patient and empathetic with their colleagues. They should not act or behave in a manner which increases their stress level. The HR department in the police force should be very proactive and modern.
7) You carry Delhi Police in your heart. What is your advise for betterment and upgradation of Delhi police both in terms of police department and the policemen?
Delhi policemen and women are the best of the lot. The young band of officers and men are very suave and educated. We need to leverage this to make the force very professional and modern. Therefore, human resource should be managed well. Everyone should have a sense of belonging in the force. Moreover, in our normal policing functions of prevention and detection of crime and the management of law and order we need to strike a balance between the short run and the long-run requirements. Our day to day fire-fighting is so much that we hardly have time to formulate a strategy and work according to that. Further, policing policy should be evidence-based. For instance, if we have put up barricades on a particular road, we need to examine the evidence, whether it has achieved its purpose -whether it has reduced the incidence of car thefts or just causing traffic jams and consequent inconvenience for the public. One other important aspect is frequent interaction with the citizens and gauging of their needs and expectations from the police. Therefore, we need to look at both our personnel, our systems and last, but by no means the least, the citizens.
