Flux the Police

I was out with my friend for the smoke break. We were puffing our cigarettes in a service lane. As usually we were discussing the happenings of the day when we saw a police officer got off his bike and walked towards the tea point. I picked out the lighter out of my pocket to light up next cigarette when my friend anxiously asked me to sit on the bike and did a bold stare requesting me to leave.

Noticing his discomfort "I didn't protest." We left the place before we could light another up. Now we parked our car in shady parking lot of the commercial complex. This is where I finally turned up and asked him the reason for this strange behaviour. First he tried to ignore my questions by passing silly excuses like he didn't have papers for pollution checked but we were not even riding the bike. We were only standing next to it. I pursued my interrogation diligently.

He shared his experience of running into argument with police when they asked for his identification papers. He was heckled and had to do multiple phone calls to get out of that situation. I saw people share a similar ordeal with police everywhere. All they want to do is avoid shadow of inspection from government officials even if they have not done anything wrong.

A recent study conducted by Tata Institute of Social Science about the statistics of crime indexing refle. It was found that over 75% of cases are not reported by people due to bad behaviour of the police. This is a serious problem in a country where problems of domestic violence, crimes against women or serious offences that requires police control go unreported. The trials and tribulations of common people don't have an end.

It's time we come together and flux the police by not only through regulatory reform programs but by our own engagement with the police with respect to the societal problems. It is only possible with the active citizenship of individuals. Even though crime shows on Indian TV like Crime patrol and Savdhaan India have somewhat changed the negative image of police forces but they still remain tainted with distress. We must understand that the police is here to serve us. It is their duty to ensure safety and security. So instead of ducking every time, you see a cop. Straighten up and flux the police.

Flux the Police Campaign

Flux the police is an initiative by the people to bridge the gap between the civilians and the men in uniform. It address solutions to problems of accessibility, trust, respect and problem solving in our society. By fluxing the hard bolted ideas of malice and oppression towards the police. We are doing more disservice to the nation than we expect. So let us confront the air of animosity and creating a more accepting space for the police. Here are a few ways we could flux the police to more responsive and accessible position.

1) Community outreach programs

The local societies should be well acquainted with the police in their location. This way there could be better coordination between the administration, the police and the authorities of the society. A key to active citizenship should includes regular community outreach programs that engages the public with more facts and figures as to figure out the areas of locality that needs intervention.

2) Educational campaigns 

Bridging the gap between Khakhi men and civilians. Educational campaigning in schools, colleges and academic institutions would work a great length in educating the masses. If you ask any random person on a street about filling an FIR. They would be absolutely clueless about it. At most, they would know to dial 100, that too with a great deal of hesitation. Therefore it becomes extremely important for the police to address the youth about how to file complaints or raise issues of law and security.

3) Social Media connect

We have seen Mumbai Police and Banglore Police getting creative with memes on twitter. It certainly has caught the eye of many Indians with messages of Safe driving, respecting the law and order and has been appreciated. The millennials have changed the traditional way of conservative methods of police connect. Filling FIRs online is not enough. There needs to be more active IT cells for Police stations that could address problems like stalking, theft, cyber bullying etc.

What Can I do?

As a part of the initiative you can go to your local police station. Talk to police personel, discuss about their daily routine, programs they have undertaken, learn more aspects of community policing and find out the challenges they face in their duty. Break the taboo of seeing police as trouble and rekindle the relationship of trust and communion on the society.

Dialogue 100

A police officer is someone we should feel secure around but it doesn't happen. Seeing police with fearful eye is a major setback which doesn't represent active citizens of a democracy. It is time we stomp out the humiliating mindset of police officers and instill some pride in Khaki. If you support the movement then you can share this post or your personal story with us using #FluxThePolice. Take a picture with a police personnel, talk to them about their daily work, learn about their challenges and appreicate the hard work they are doing. We can only make our democracy stronger by actually participating in it rather than working against it.