Former DGP calls for study into work culture in Police Department

In light of the recent turmoil in the Police Department, retired Director General of Police Ajai Kumar Singh has called for the commissioning of an independent study into the work culture in the department.

“It is time to take a closer look at the internal work culture…. It appears to me that the gaps between various sets of officers are widening. Hierarchies should not be so rigid. Hierarchies were created for smooth discharge of responsibilities, they should not become impediments,” he said in an interview with The Hindu .

Mr. Singh was in Mysuru last week to inaugurate a three-day-long course for Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officers at the Karnataka Police Academy.

Referring to the Anupama Shenoy case, the recent suicides by Deputy Superintendents of Police and the strike threat by police officers, hr said the department appeared to be passing through a turbulent phase.

He was particular that the study should be conducted by an external agency to ensure fairness. “When non-IPS officers are nursing a grouse against IPS officers and publicly complaining against them, it will not help if an Additional Director General of Police is asked to look into the matter and submit a report,” he said.

Among other things, the external agency should study if there is room for free flow or exchange of views in the department, a functional grievance redressal system and a level of trust among the police personnel about their superiors. “The agency should study whether police personnel believe that their good work will be recognised and rewarded by their superiors,” he said.

Mr Singh, however, did not favour any commission or report on police reforms. “There have been enough commissions and reports on police reforms. Though the reports have been accepted, they have not been implemented. Most of the reports have recommended eight-hour shifts. But nobody has implemented it,” he said.

He said most of the trouble is rooted in the fact that the department is not adequately staffed. “Our sanctioned strength itself is inadequate. There is 30 per cent vacancy too. Most of the ills in the department are because of work pressure,” he said.