Earlier this week, while admitting that there is corruption in the police force, the Director General of Police (DGP) of Goa said that the level of corruption is unacceptable. Does this mean that there are acceptable levels of corruption in the police? If there are, could he please also tell the citizens of Goa which are the acceptable levels and which are not so that these can be referred to in future?
The statement could have even been amusing had it not come from someone other than the highest ranking police officer in the State. He is the man who accepts the salute from every other police officer in the Goa force. One does not expect such a statement from such a high-ranking officer.
Kudos to him for being frank and admitting there is corruption in the force. It does take some courage to do so, even if in doing so he is not revealing any secret. Everyone is aware that there are corrupt police officers. There has been evidence of this in the number of cases against police officers, where some have even been suspended and held. But the DGP let out a secret that the people were not aware there of – that there are levels of corruption that are acceptable. This, one has to assume, means there are certain levels of corruption that officers found indulging in are forgiven.
We come from a school of thought where corruption of any sort or ‘level’ is nacceptable. That is how it should be. Any grey area in a matter that should be black and white only gives rise to ambiguities as could this.
It is difficult to come to terms with the fact that there are acceptable levels of corruption. For, if there are acceptable levels of corruption today, then tomorrow we may learn of acceptable levels of crime. Where would that place the citizens of Goa when they go to report a crime? Would they be turned back from the police station if the police deemed that the crime was in the acceptable list?
The police force is the main agency that citizen’s rely on when there are faced with corrupt practices. There is now little guarantee that the police will take action on all complaints as some of these could fall within the acceptable levels. If the DGP wants a clean force, then all levels of corruption should be acted against. This is the only way that the police will earn the respect of the citizens.
Over the past few years, the image of the police department in Goa has taken a beating. Policemen have been implicated for having nexus with drug-mafia; have been accused of harassing commercial sex workers; and of breaking other laws. The image needs to be rebuilt, and this can be done by being strict with the law enforcers.
The DGP has a plan for this, for he also announced that there will be a vigilance squad that will ‘police the police’ and that dossiers will be prepared. Finally, after policemen from the Goa force have been held, suspended and warned for indulging in criminal activities, the department has come to terms with the fact that there are black sheep in uniform and that these have to be taken to task. But, what was left unsaid was whether any action, if at all, will be taken against the policemen found indulging in corrupt activities. Dossiers are good, but action is also important.
Where the vigilance squad is concerned, the DGP has to now match his actions with his words. Let the policeman found to be indulging in corrupt practices be taken to task and made an example of, even if they go to the ‘higher ups’ to complain. The DGP did say that unhappy with the crackdown, some of the men in uniform have complained to the ‘higher-ups’. Strict action against those found indulging in corruption will send a strong message to other police officers and personnel that the police brass means business where tackling corruption is concerned. It will be a pointless exercise if there is only a squad to keep vigil and no action is taken on erring members of the force. At least, the DGP has made a start in tackling corruption in the squad!
