Thiruvananthapuram: All police personnel should abide by the law and the arrogant ones who defy it should be sacked, former director-general of police (DGP) Jacob Punnoose has said.
Every policeman should remember that he was bound by the law. Egocentrism and personal interests should not come in the way of duty. The law should be enforced. "If a girl comes to a police station or if a criminal is arrested, the law should take its own course. How the law is implemented is important and this is what the Constitution says. However, many police personnel do not care about the rules," Jacob Punnoose said.
Many policemen had an arrogant demeanour towards the people and this was the general trend. Moreover, corruption was rampant, he said. "Arrogance was a ploy to conceal corruption. When people approach the police with some demand or to file a case, some officers behave arrogantly. In such cases, the people will offer something to the police if their needs are to be met. This is the purpose of arrogance," said the former top cop.
Officers who behaved arrogantly to women and economically weaker sections should be terminated from service. The Police Act 86(C) had provisions to do so, he said. "A modern police force cannot ignore these factors. In the past, arrogance was the main trait of the police. One could not enter a police station without addressing the cops as 'lord.' Many police officers still believe that they are 'lords'. But they should remember that the real ‘lords’ are the common people," Jacob Punnoose said.
There were several police officers who wished to return to the age of 'lords'. Such officers should not be tolerated, he said.
A law-enforcer can serve the force only if his behaviour, mind and body were sound, he said.
"One cannot be a police officer if he loses his temper when others are angry. A person who is physically strong but mentally unfit cannot be a police officer. Personnel should have the capacity to face criticism. There has been a change in the behaviour of the police over the past 4-5 years. This should be corrected," he said.
The argument that policemen were losing their temper owing to heavy workload was misplaced. Officers who had plenty of work do not shower abuses on anybody, he said.
"One may become exhausted due to heavy work, but how can that lead to anger?" he asked.
Workload and pressures were no excuses for displaying arrogance. Police training had been revised from time to time. Still, reforms should be continuously introduced. Amendments had to be brought in all the time. Only then would a change occur in the behaviour of the police personnel," Jacob Punnoose said.