Community policing in Karnataka

In Bangalore, the existing ratio is one policeman for every 1,000 people;

To boost the image of the police force and to involve general public in policing; emphasizing citizen involvement in crime prevention, community policing aims at creating local action groups. Even regular conversations with one's neighbors will go a great way in combating crime. Bangalore is still way behind Kerala, where the system even has a legal mandate.

At least three years to implement community policing effectively.

Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy is working with the city police and has started a core group with three retired DGPs to effectively implement community policing.

A sub-system created where policemen are allotted parts of their station's jurisdictional areas. These policemen mingle with people and become 'personal cops'. 'Personal cops' are put on regular sub-beats where they become acquaintances with residents.

Havas Worldwide Digital Matrix will be assisting Bangalore Police to build their own team of social media community managers and will help them serve people better.

The initiative is aimed at enhancing safety and security within the local community. It will create conducive

atmosphere to have public relationships, community services and community participation in policing. It has an advantage of conserving resources of both the police and the community.

This involves responsible participation of citizens in the prevention of crime at the community level and bridges the gap between the police and citizens. Also, the workload of the police will be reduced to some extent and anti-social elements may become weaker.

In seven stations the initiative is being implemented. The community volunteers, called Area Suraksha Mitras, from each police station limits will be part of the Jana Suraksha Samithi, and will actively involve with the police in their respective police station area to enhance safety and security of their neighborhood. The initiative will be extended to not just the entire city but also across the state based on the success of the pilot project.

For the past few months, ST Ramesh, retired director general and inspector general of police had conducted training for the police as well as Suraksha Mithras at seven police stations. However, the signing of a memorandum of understanding by Janaagraha and the police department has been postponed to the coming month since the home minister did not have the time to go through it.

Karnataka Police (Amendment) Bill 2013 “to comply with the directions of the Supreme Court in respect of police reforms and to ensure effective functioning of the Police Establishment Board (PEB)”.

The Bill that has already been passed in the Assembly allows the government to have a have a hand in the composition of the Police Establishment Board that effects transfers of officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police and below. Instead of the earlier system where the board was headed by a Director and Inspector-General of Police and was supposed to have three “senior-most” officers not below the rank of ADGPs as members, the above Bill provides for three senior officers not below the rank of ADGPs as members. This would give the choice of selection to the government instead of the earlier system where the senior-most officers automatically chose themselves.

Similarly, the Bill has removed the powers of the board to recommend the transfers of police officials of the rank of Additional SP and above.

The Bill has increased the government’s scope for modification of the board’s decision as it seeks to delete the rider from the law that stipulates effecting such modifications only during “exceptional cases”.

The board, headed by the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police, consisted, till the amendment was passed, of three “senior-most” police officers not below the rank of Additional Director-General of Police as members. Monday’s Bill replaced “senior-most” police officers with “senior” police officers.

Sub-section (2) clause (c), which provided the board power to make “appropriate recommendations to the government

regarding postings and transfer of officers of and above the rank of Additional Superintendent of Police”, has been omitted.

Section 20F of the old legislation provided “power of transfer to the board or by the government in consultation with board”. The amended Bill extends “power of transfer to board or to the government as the case may be from his post before the expiry of the minimum tenure”.

So, the new Bill will give the government control over transfers and postings of police officers.

The Karnataka Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug-Offenders, Gamblers, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Slum-Grabbers Act, 1985Introduced by Ramakrishna Hegade govt.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

Act 12 of 1985- The activities of certain anti-social elements like bootleggers, drug offenders, gamblers, goondas, immoral traffic offenders and slum grabbers have from time to time caused a feeling of insecurity and alarm among the public. The even tempo of life especially in urban areas has frequently been disrupted because of such persons.(2) In order to ensure that the maintenance of public order in this State is not adversely affected by the activities of these known anti-social elements, it is considered necessary to enact a special legislation to provide as follows:-

(a) to define with precision the terms "bootleggers", "drug offenders", gamblers", goondas", "immoral traffic offenders" and "slum grabbers".(b) to specify their activities which adversely affect public order, and(c) to provide for preventive detention of the persons indulging in these dangerous activities.3. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra State have introduced specific legislation for dealing with these categories of anti-social elements as these classes of offenders could not be effectively dealt with under the National Security Act.4. It is proposed to make a similar legislation in Karnataka also in public interest.(Published in the Karnataka Gazette (Extraordinary) Part IV-2A as No. 165 dated 25-3-85 at page 13.)

Section 2(g) states “goonda means a person who either by himself or as a member of or leader of a gang, habitually commits or attempts to commit or abets the commission of offences…”

Karnataka State government announced that it intends to book the accused in the rape cases under the Karnataka Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug Offenders, Gamblers, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Slum Grabbers Act, 1985, popularly known as the Goonda Act.

Though sexual offences are not covered under the Act in its present form, the six accused in the gang-rape of a law student on the Jnanabharathi campus in October 2012 were booked under the Goonda Act. The advisory board of the Karnataka High Court — consisting of three judges — had validated booking the accused under the Goonda Act. The six accused in that case were earlier involved in various instances of robbery, dacoity and cases of sexual assault as well, warranting booking them under the Goonda Act, the probe had then revealed.

However, sources said there need not be prior cases registered against the individual to be booked under the Goonda Act.

Persons booked under the Goonda Act can be detained for one year without a trial. But there are concerns that the Act provides for preventive detention of goondas- that is imprisonment without trial, amounting to violation of human rights.

The question whether such Act was required is debatable. Most of the goondas against whom public ire was growing had dozens of cases against them. Yet, they were getting bail and committing fresh crimes. The prosecution was repeatedly failing to get convictions. This was because of the protection the goondas were getting from politicians and officials. The law was brought to hoodwink the public.