PORVORIM: Politicians are not allowing police reforms as it does not want to lose its control over the Force, former Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, and a son of the Goan soil, Julio Ribeiro said here on Tuesday.
“People force needs good leaders. The government should appoint top ranking police officers who are acceptable to the people, but that is not happening. The political leadership appoints wrong people sometimes. This is affecting the image of the police force,” Ribeiro said, in conversation with writer Vivek Menezes, at the launch of his latest book, Hope for Sanity, a collection of his selected writings from 2002 to 2021.
“The police officers and men are more interested in doing what their political bosses want and not their own leaders. If the police leadership has the control over its own personnel, then the issues related to the functioning of the force would get addressed to quite an extent,” the former DGP of Punjab said.
Speaking about the prevalence of corruption in the police department, the former top cop said that it was there even in 1953, when he joined the service. It was there in British time also.
“But it was kept under check by its own officers. But, now due to the meddling by the politicians, corruption has gone out of hand. Even if the politicians claim that ‘na khaunga, aur na khane dunga’, it is misleading statement. Corruption is rampant in the force,” Ribeiro said.
According to him, this can’t be fully eradicated, but can certainly be reduced to a great extent, if there are good leaders.
“The officers and men follow their leaders. This much I know. If the top leadership is corrupt, then you have it. The people are going to suffer. But many issues related to the force will get resolved if there are good leaders and they are allowed to control their own people,” he said.