This story is from September 22, 2018

‘Separate investigation and law and order wings’

‘Separate investigation and law and order wings’
AHMEDABAD: A number of developing countries have adopted the model of separating police units that handle crime cases from those that handle maintenance of law and order. A study by Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) suggested the same if police were to win the confidence of people.
In a study titled ‘Study On The Importance Of Police Accountability And Its Impact On The Governance Of Criminal Justice System In The State Of Gujarat,’ researchers observed that it is necessary to separate crime investigators from police who maintain law and order without further delay.
“It would be difficult for the present police force to win the confidence of the people. The efficiency of the police will have a positive response if there is support from the public, hence reorganization and reorientation of the police force is essential to sensitize them to the needs of society,” mentioned the study.
The study is one of the 15 undertaken by the university in 2017-18 that was funded by the government of Gujarat. The study had 469 respondents including 173 police officers and 296 judicial officers including public prosecutors from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot.
Criticizing the current methods, the study mentioned that compared to the conviction rate of about 85% in developed countries, India has a rate of 47%.
“Our polity has often put off important reforms because they do not pay off in time for the next election cycle, but the need to overhaul our criminal justice system has reached a volatile tipping point that must no longer be ignored,” the report observed.
The report went on to state that transfer or suspension is used as a weapon to bend the police or his/her will.
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About the Author
Parth Shastri

Parth Shastri is senior correspondent at The Times of India, Ahmedabad. He reports on crime as well as issues related to traffic in the city, forensic investigation, archaeology and emergency medical services.

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