Corruption is the biggest challenge

Pranab Ghosh interviews Dr PM Nair, inspector general of police (operations), Central Reserve Police Force.

Brilliant students once dreamt of joining the IPS. Has there been any shift in that perception?

I have not done a study on the perception of brilliant students studying in Indian universities. However, if you analyse the profiles of the people joining the IPS in the National Police Academy, Hyderabad, you will see those from the cream of the society coming in. There are people with high rankings in the civil services exam who are opting for IPS instead of going for IAS or IFS. It is the spirit of national integrity, national security, and public safety that is attracting them.

The crime graph is heading north, especially in the metro cities. How has the role of an IPS officer changed over time?

The crime graph has to head north. If the population increases the crime rate also increases. The trends of crime however, change. Today the traditional crime of burglary and theft are not taking place in the Naxal-affected districts. There the crimes have their origin in militant activities — explosions, abductions etc. This new trend will also change with growth of population, growth of commercial activities, industrialisation, etc. A stage will come where there would be more of cyber crimes and more crimes against human dignity. So, the IPS officers in the field have to keep track of the changes.

How is an IPS officer geared to tackle terrorist activities?

If the IPS officer is the SP of the district or the DCP of the place, he is fully accountable and responsible. Once he assumes responsibility there are certain demands on him — an SP might not get to sleep for days, or have to go without a meal or two. He may be bombarded with questions by the media or politicians. I would not call it interference but interventions. Once such interventions come in, we should take it in the positive and right spirit. I have seen that we can create tremendous impact in more ways than one by changing and orienting ourselves to the needs of the hour. As for special training to counter terrorist activities, the National Police Academy, Hyderabad and several training institutions in the country and abroad where officers are sent, are conducting professional courses to orient the officers.

What are the challenges that the IPS faces today?

I think corruption is a major challenge from the national perspective, which we need to address. And the solution lies in taking prompt and strict action against the delinquent and corrupt people. The second challenge is from the officer’s point of view. An officer has to orient himself to modern policing (at times traditional methods might not work). And while doing so the officer should not solely depend on official training but take initiatives to improve himself.

Author: HT Horizons

Date: 4th Feb., 2010

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