Lately we notice that police force has become increasingly more arrogant to citizens and behave unruly while on duty. The concept of Vigilant Police force I visualized to help in controlling normal police force so that they will behave properly and perform their duty in the appropriate manner. In addition to that, this concept if accepted by our government we can create additional employment opportunity for our retired Jawans from Army, Navy and Air forces. These retired Jawans are employment worthy and their rehabilitation is also a matter of concern. 

At present, we do not have any reliable system that can help control police force from misbehaving with people. Present laws have given such sweeping powers to ordinary constables whose ability to judge various happenings in every day life appropriately is poor and not reliable and as a result, often constables take wrong decisions causing very serious inconvenience to concerned citizens. These constables frequently think that they have authority to do whatever they may please and as this mentality grows amongst them, they are tempted to misuse that uncontrollable authority. As this happens, we see many wrong applications of this authority by these constables. Not only ordinary constables but also officers of higher position are tempted to do the same mistake. As this happens, we see atrocities committed by our police force. Corruption in our police force is largely attributed to this phenomenon. 

Law experts told me that giving sweeping powers in the hands of our police force is done by British rulers, because our laws are designed by them who considered every Indian citizen as a criminal from their capitalist point of view. 

To avoid misuse of this sweeping power by police personnel we need people who are mature enough to know how to implement these laws. That needs persons mentally normal. However, recent research has shown that most of police are not fit to become good police officers. While recruiting them no special care is taken to find out what is their psychological state. Many of our problems in pubic life are due to this shortcoming. Most of our government offices are psychologically not fit for the type of responsibility they are entrusted. Some suggest that paying them higher salaries will bring order but many psychologists do not agree to this solution. They add that paying higher salary will not make them mentally normal but on the contrary that may spoil them more. We have many wrong social practices and some other experts attribute this misbehavior to those bad social practices. 

Who will staff that vigilance force that will keep vigilant watch on all police? Constables, moving in city on their bikes during patrol often catch innocent citizen and try to frighten them by accusing them of crime they have not done and when that citizen gets frightened by that accusation (primarily, due to lack of knowledge of laws concerned) yields to the wrong demands of these police. This is the general modus operandi of these police persons. We have such complicated legal system that it is often difficult to argue with accusing police. As a result, at that time that police is High Court and also Supreme Court! Ordinary citizen is very helpless in that situation. To stop this we need some force who will keep these erring police under control. We cannot expect these simple citizens to know all these complicated laws, which even well trained solicitors find difficult to interpret. At present this atrocious behavior has reached such a position that, something has to be done. Misuse of authority, misinterpretation of law, trying to blackmail people is common crime committed by our police force. All this they do because they know that ordinary people are not well versed in laws those surround them. 

All this discussion finally adds that the only option is to have other force that can keep watch on these police personnel. Some arrangement will bring a deterrent effect and control misbehaving police. This is where the concept of vigilant police force came to my mind. At present, they have vigilant department within police but that does not function appropriately. There is general tendency among these departments to cover the erring office and as a result no proper action taken and the accused police office or constable is let off with small or no penalty. Delays in inquiries helps the erring police staff. This leads one to think of an alternative arrangement to resolve this problem. This vigilant police will be answerable only to High Court or Governor. That will keep political pressures out of reach to them and that will help them do their duty properly. 

Vigilant police force will be carved out of retired Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. Those, who are interested in serving the country. Having best records during their services. Who are able bodied and hold capacity to serve. Such personnel will be appointed in this vigilant police force. Age limit will be about 45 upwards, married or widower, having good sense of conscience; these are qualities such candidate will have. They will not have any uniform and so police will never know who they are. However, they shall carry an identity card with them. 

Citizens or NGOs will complain against police personnel who are doing the crime of misusing the authority vested in them. The job of this police is to investigate the complain and to do that they can take charge of accused police and do all that usually police do with accused suspect citizen. Their power will cover all police personnel including the highest officer in the police department. They will have no power to take action against any citizen. 

Appointment of this Vigilant Police force will work as a powerful deterrent to police who are feeling very over confident about their super powers. If this experiment to control corruption in police department works well, we can extend this to other government departments also to check corruption in our larger bureaucracy. There are other many advantages in this arrangement. We can create an employment for these retired personnel. These people retiring from forces are actually in good working health and so they are having this problem of rehabilitation. By creating this Vigilant Police force, we solve that problem also. They will be trained to work like CID on their recruitment. They will place ECTV cameras to watch prison cells and such places where often police personnel torture suspects. This is required because as per my information many molestations are done on women suspects by these police. 

Arvind Kejriwal may opt for this vigilant police to keep control on Delhi police if his government does not get statehood.

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ashokkothare@gmail.com 

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