1. Introduction:
Instability of social states, law and order disturbances to extreme aggression, communal riots and other extremist acts are not new in Indian perspective. India's current scenario regarding internal security is alarming the necessary and strategic solutions. Devastating terror attacks of 26-28 November, 2008 in Mumbai and many more cannot be sidelined. Recently, the Pathankot Airbase attack questioned the strategies, tactics and management of intelligence regarding the internal security in the country. The multitude of security threats India faces - Islamist terrorism, left-wing extremism, communal violence, ethnic violence, espionage, secession movements, border security on six international borders, and drug trafficking, to name a few necessitates an effective and coordinated mechanism designed to deal with related issues and situations on the homeland. The Ministry of Home Affairs is the primary federal agency tasked with the maintenance of internal security in India. The Department of Internal Security within the ministry is responsible for carrying out this mandate. The department works in close coordination with the Department of States, Department of Home, Department of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs, and the Department of Border Management, all within the Ministry of Home Affairs. In the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the seemingly endless Naxalite insurgency, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and consequently the Department of Internal Security, have come under increasing media and public scrutiny and pressure to undertake reforms to enhance its effectiveness.
1.1 Internal Security:
Internal Security, on the other hand, can be defined as 'security against threats faced by a country within its national borders, either caused by inner political turmoil, or provoked, prompted or proxied by an enemy country, perpetrated even by such groups that use a failed, failing or weak state, causing insurgency, terrorism or any other subversive acts that target innocent citizens, cause animosity between and amongst groups of citizens and communities intended to cause or causing violence, destroy or attempt to destroy public and private establishment. (Report of the Task Force set up on 'Criminal Justice, National Security and Centre-State Cooperation'). Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other self-governing territories. Generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Responsibility for internal security may range from police to paramilitary forces, and in exceptional circumstances, the military itself. Threats to the general peace may range from low-level civil disorder, large scale violence, or even an armed insurgency. Threats to internal security may be directed at either the state's citizens, or the organs and infrastructure of the state itself, and may range from petty crime, serious organized crime, political or industrial. unrest, or even domestic terrorism. Foreign powers may also act as a threat to internal security, by either committing or sponsoring terrorism or rebellion, without actually declaring war.
1.2 Crime Prevention:
Crime Prevention is the anticipation, recognition and appraisal of a crime risk and the initiation of some action to remove or reduce the risk (VCPA). And also, as per definition of Crime Prevention, defined on the official website of New York State Police, it can be stated as:
➤ Crime Prevention is the anticipation, recognition, and appraisal of a crime risk, and the initiation of action to remove or reduce it.
➤ Crime Prevention is an active approach utilizing public awareness and preventive measures to reduce crime.
➤ Crime Prevention reflects a philosophy of self-defense where the police and the community take action before crimes are committed.
➤ Crime Preventions programs will reduce crime, stimulate public awareness concerning
➤ crime prevention and enhance our communities.
Crime prevention works. It is cheaper, safer, and healthier for communities to prevent crime than to have to treat its victims, deal with its perpetrators, and lose civic health and productivity.
Crime Prevention comprises strategies and measures that seek to reduce the risk of crimes. occurring, and their potential harmful effects on individuals and society, including fear of crime, by intervening to influence their multiple causes. (Official Website of UNODC).
But the responsibility of crime prevention doesn't fall on one person it's everyone's business. Law enforcement agencies, however, often are the focal point in community crime prevention.
This can be beneficial to prevention efforts because these law enforcement officers:
Ga
Know what crime is happening, where it is happening, and by whom;
Have the expertise to stop crime before it happens; and
Can bring community members, police departments, and government officials together (Official Website of NYSP).
2. Role of Police in Maintenance of Internal Security:
Internal security problems fell within the range of authority of an estimated 50,00,000 man force. Presumably, in the present time this included all members of police-type organizations such as the state police forces, the railway police, the rural police, para-military (central armed police forces) and the volunteer police.
The work of crime prevention personnel is crucial to the law enforcement agency's success in involving its officers, other government agencies, and the community in anti-crime efforts. This is a critically important aspect of policing. Assuming the chief of police or DGP (Director General of Police) is committed to having other agencies and the community involved in efforts to prevent crime, and believes that crime prevention and control are the responsibility of various interests within the community (not just law enforcement), the assignment of personnel to the crime prevention unit should be considered one of the most important decisions of the law enforcement executive. Consequently, the crime prevention unit must be staffed at a level that reflects its significance to the mission of the agency.
Every law enforcement agency should designate one employee as supervisor of the crime prevention unit.
The supervisor should be responsible for directing all aspects of the crime prevention unit and should represent the interests of the unit to the chief executive officer and his
command staff. Job descriptions for crime prevention personnel should be prepared and fully understood
by those assigned to crime prevention.
te Crime prevention personnel should possess effective planning and communication skills and should be capable of motivating and directing others.
Law enforcement agencies should give consideration to qualified civilians as well as sworn officers when filling vacancies within the crime prevention unit.
+ Crime prevention personnel should be provided appropriate training in methods to reduce
or remove the opportunity for crime.
Crime prevention personnel should attend advanced or specialized courses designed to strengthen their crime prevention skills in physical security, CPTED, management, and coalition building.
Crime prevention should be a line item in the law enforcement budget.
Every law enforcement agency should consider using a cadre of volunteers to assist in the
delivery of crime prevention services.
Every law enforcement agency should prepare comprehensive crime prevention policies and procedures.
While recognizing the crucial role of Special Branches/Intelligence set up in the States/Union Territories, the Home Ministry has laid emphasis on earmarking up to 5% of the total allocation under MPF towards strengthening of their Special Branches in terms of modern equipment, gadgets for communication, etc. It has also been emphasized that the States should take action to suitably enhance the manpower in the special branches from their own resources. As was done in the previous financial year, for 2010-11 also, all the States were advised to earmark up to 5% of the MPF allocation towards strengthening of their special branches.
2.1 Maintaining Public Confidence:
Maintaining public confidence in India's government and security forces appears to have been a continuing challenge to the country's leadership. Public opinion interpreted from a brief survey of the public press indicates that informed Indians view their country leader among Asian nations equipped to high standards in international relations. As for national politics, most informed Indians in the past have shared the goals set by the national leaders but have differed widely on methods used in attaining these gouls. Most Indians, especially in the large cities, aspired to improve social welfare and financial and educational opportunities and to eliminate poverty. The government answered by inaugurating various community development and rural welfare projects (although less than successful) aimed especially at increasing the well-being of the more backward and disadvantaged groups in the country. Many special considerations have heen given these groups in the constitution and in much government legislation. But in spite of government efforts to better the lot of its citizens, the rural population has resisted some of its programs and has distrusted its administrators.
2.2 Collection of Intelligence
The civil system for collecting. analyzing, integrating, and interpreting information concerning the security of India in the mid-1960's was operated by the police under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was an enlarged outgrowth British system that in colonial days was used primarily against nationalists. In conjunction with this civil intelligence system, a joint. intelligence unit for handling military intelligence-Joint Chiefs of Staff-was created after independence. Prior 1962, most the attempts coordinate the activities of these overlapping branches apparently failed, and high policy planners continued to rely heavily on civil intelligence units for strategic information. However, the Chinese attack in 1962 underlined. the defects of the intelligence system, and, along with other security units, it was given serious reevaluation. Shortly after the office of director general of security established in the Prime minister's secretariat centralized coordinating agency for political and military intelligence. And, by the mid-1960's, a recommendation was made that a new intelligence system established to remove the police from the processing of strategic intelligence for which they said to be unsuited.
In India, a number of intelligence, military and police organizations fight against terrorism activities. For intelligence, we have Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) that acts the external intelligence agency Intelligence Bureau (IB), a division of the Home Affairs Ministry, collects intelligence within India. After the 26/11 attack, government has formed various other agencies like NIA, NATGRID, MAC (revamping) and NCTC for fighting against terrorism. Here is a brief backgrounder various bodies in India formed to fight terrorism.
a) National Security Guard (NSG): Following the Operation Blue Star in 1984, the National Security Guard (NSG) created a special commando force for combating against terrorist activities. NSG personnel are also referred as Black Cat commandos. The NSG's are trained counter hijacking operations and terrorist operations. After 26/11 attack, four NSG regional hubs are created at Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai.
b) National Investigation Agency (NIA): It is a federal agency up by India to combat terror. It created in December 2008 after Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008 with concurrent jurisdiction power. It is empowered to investigate and prosecute offences under the Acts specified in the Schedule of the NIA Act. Any state government can request union government to handover the investigation of case to NIA, if the case is registered as per the offenses mentioned in schedule of NIA act. Union government can also handover any scheduled offense anywhere in the India The central government is empowered to decide the jurisdiction of these courts. These are presided over by a judge appointed by the Central Government on the recommendation of the Chief Justice of the High Court with jurisdiction in that region. The main offences dealt by NIA bomb blasts, human trafficking, hijacking of ships and aircrafts, counterfeit currency narcotics etc.
c) National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is robust intelligence gathering mechanism to track any suspected terror attack. All the databases of government departments are linked in a grid to collect comprehensive patterns of intelligence that can be readily accessed by intelligence agencies like RAW, IB, ED, CBEC etc. The information collected includes and hank account details, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records, and rail and air travel details etc. It is not yet fully operationalised.
The government has finally decided to revitalise and re-infuse the NatGrid constituted in the aftermath of 26/11 Mumbai a preventive mechanism by collating and attacks analyzing vital data and predict possible attacks.
Instead of a standalone institution that was to be placed under an overarching umbrella of the national counter terror centre (NCTC), shelved subsequently amid stiff opposition from the States, the NatGrid will now be under the overall supervision of the Intelligence Bureau.
Once fully functional NatGrid is supposed to enable all the eleven security and intelligence agencies, including RAW, IB, Enforcement Directorate, National Investigation Agency (NIA), CBI, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and others, to process their queries and get results, in real time, on virtually any individual or entity.
d) Revamping Multi Agency Centre (MAC) MAC, which functions under
Intelligence Bureau, is the nodal agency for sharing intelligence inputs. Although it was in place since 2002, it was revamped after 26/11 attacks. Every agency, and Central Police Organisation, has an officer to coordinate with MAC and share intelligence on a daily basis. At the state level also there is an SMAC functioning in a similar manner.
Coastal Security Scheme Revamped After 26/11 attacks, the coastal security imperatives have become multi-dimensional and prompt. To strengthen the coastal security, the government has taken several measures.
The Coast Guard entrusted with the task of guarding the Indian coastline right from the shoreline. The Indian Navy is still responsible for overall maritime security. Coastal States and Union Territories have been directed to implement the approved Coastal Security Scheme. The coastal States and UTs have been asked to coastal patrolling by locally hired fishing boats trawlers. A uniform system for registration of all boats has heen put in place. Action is also being taken for issuance of ID cards to all fishermen.
National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO): It is a technical intelligence agency set up in 2004 under the National Security Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office, India. It provides technical intelligence to all other Indian agencies.
2.3 Civil Disturbances:
Civil disobedience and coercive public protests were part and parcel of Indian politics before independence and became after independence. In fact, this kind of political behavior considered a legitimate form of expressing demands and mobilizing public opinion. and became well institutionalized in the Indian political process.
Many forms of actions have been used including riots, strikes, boycotts, work stoppages, obstruction of normal activity, courting of arrests, fasts, marches, processions, and public meetings. Some of these actions have been legal, others illegal. Illegal actions have occasion included the of violence.
In general, these actions have all shared three attributes: They usually were collective actions, they were public and clandestine or conspiratorial, and by their nature they imposed restrictions
on the authorities compelling them to use the minimum of force in counteractions. These forms of mass activities required extensive specialized training and knowledge in operations from Indian police and regular armed forces.
2.4 Methods and Techniques:
The central and state governments of India combined the of police olice organizations and the regular armed forces. dealing internal security problems. The situations clearly defining the roles and functions of the police and the armed forces not explicit, and in most instances the decision to use the police instead of the army was left up to the local authorities.
In cases where the police indicated an inability to cope with the insurgents, regular troops were sent in by the central government at the request of state authorities. Police units were also used in some cases in defense efforts and they were called upon to relieve "regular units of the armed Central and state authorities had a wide range of emergency powers instinted to give them free rein in coping with activities deemed prejudicial to the security of the country or any of its parts. The constitution allowed the president to declare a state of emergency in the face of external aggression or serious internal disturbances and it made provisions for him to assume the powers of any governor whose government showed inability to handle emergency situations. This provision empowered him and the national assembly to proclaim a state of emergency in 1962 in response to the Chinese invasion, suspending all constitutional rights and giving the government almost unlimited control over communications, transportation, finance, credit, and mass media. Moreover, it gave the authorities power to detain persons suspected of endangering national security, to control the movement of persons inside emergency areas, to control arms and explosives, and to enter, search, and investigate without warrants. The Preventive Detention Act of 1950 provided for the arrest detention of persons accused of threatening the social stability and economic development of the country.
The central and state governments were able to order the detention of any person for up to one year if his behavior was considered prejudicial to the security of the country or any of its states, or to the maintenance of public law and order. And the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.) allowed police authorities to ban the assembly of five or more persons in areas designated by them as being out of bounds.
3. Role of Police in Crime Prevention:
Prevention of crime is one of the major obligations of police. If crimes are prevented in time, the human rights of the people in general will be protected actually and factually. It is so because the commission of an offence amounts to the violation of one or the other human right of an individual. If the police are able to prevent crime efficiently, their problems in the context of protection of human rights will reduce substantially. Not only that, their image will improve and. the popular estimation of their performance will pass through a positive transformation. Prevention is better than cure. A stitch in time saves nine and the crime prevented is best. investigated are some of the popular dictums signifying the importance of crime prevention and its relevance with reference to the obligation of police leadership in the protection of human rights. That crimes should and can be prevented is the basic premise which each society effective use of the legislate some provision or other for preventing crimes. By making provisions the police officials at various levels, inter alia, will be discharging their obligation of protecting human rights in a gainful and meaningful manner.
No comments:
Post a Comment