COVID-19 battle helped police win the hearts of people: Study

Bengaluru: Ninety per cent of citizens feel a little or a lot more positive now about the police in Bengaluru than before the pandemic, revealed a study 'Policing in Bengaluru during the COVID-9 Pandemic' conducted by Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy and Hanns Seidel Stiftung.

The finding of the study was discussed during Janaagraha's 10th City Politics Webinar on the theme "Policing in Bengaluru during the COVID -19 Pandemic; learning and next steps".

P.K.H.Tharakan, former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), former advisor to Governor of Karnataka & former State police chief, Kerala said, "The duties assigned to police which are mostly coercive in nature and worldwide they have come to acquire an image that is not really endearing. It took a global pandemic to change all that. In India, as the pandemic started spreading in all States, the police was given the primary duty of enforcing the protocol prescribed by health officials and the government for preventing the acceleration of the transmission of the Coronavirus.

Enforcement has of course been a familiar territory to the police. But this enforcement of preventive health norms was not exactly the same thing. At the beginning they themselves did not know what preventive measures they had to take themselves and protective gear was scarcely available. Yet they jumped in the fray with gusto. Many suffered the consequences, falling ill themselves and some succumbed. But in the process the policemen and the women of this country endeared themselves to the common man."

He highlighted that the cities and states which have a community policing system in place had an advantage in facing this unexpected phenomenal challenge which called for citizen interface on an unprecedented scale. "Bengaluru City Police came out in flying colours precisely as it had been steadily building up a network of Area Suraksha Mitras since 2013.

"The pandemic was a case in point where police worked widely with individuals, Resident Welfare Associations, Civil Society Organisation and NGOs. We realised during this time, the barrier between the public and police broke. This pandemic provided a brilliant opportunity to show who we really are and that we can work with the public and, as the study pointed out, that there was a positive shift in the perception," said Isha Pant IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Command Centre.

"We have decided to engage more with the citizens by conducting more outreach programmes. A realisation has set in among the Bengaluru police that close contact and communication with the citizens are a must for effective working. We have discussed the positive change in perception and are actively working to maintain the same. We have faced backlash when enforcing the mask rule and penalising violators. However, we need to move forward, change our behaviour with the public with the right leadership," Pant added.

"An overwhelming percentage of citizens, police staff, and CSOs are highlighting the positive, empathetic and inspiring engagement with the police during the pandemic. They are calling for continued hyper-local citizen engagement with the police. It is the right time to formalise the Community policing programme of the Bengaluru City Police as part of the Karnataka Police Act.

It will go a long way in creating sustainable platforms for citizens to work with the police in building safe cities," said Sapna Karim, Head Civic Participation at Janaagraha.