Himalayan Times (1955)

Sir

January 30, 1965

PUBLIC - POLICE CO-OPERATION

AN EFFECTIVE METHOD OF CHECKING CRIMES AND ACCIDENTS

[ "The Police force, being an organised and disciplined body of men, can help

greatly, in the development of the country......The Army and the Police provide the

background because they create the conditions in which development is possible." These
■ words of the Prime Minister Nehru emphasise the positive- role the Police have to play
in the progress of the country. In the article below, an attempt has been made to
indicate the manner in which the public can help and co-operate with the police, j

In a democratic coun-
try the Police are public
servants whose duty is
to protect the life and
property of the people
through methods which
fit into the democratic
pattern and are in con-
sonance with publi<: opi-
nion. To be able to do
this, the police have to
win the willing co-opera-
' lion, sympathy and sup-
port of the people.

But the public too has
to appreciate the role of
the police under a demo-
cratic government For
an active public opinion
favourable to the police
is not only necessary for
healthy and harmonious
poiice-public relationship,
but on it largely depends
tha very success of police
operations. Moreover, there
are many ways in which
the public can co-operate
with the police. Under
certain circumstances, for
instance, the people can
do mujh by simply re-
fraing from interfering
in the investigation work
which rightly belongs io
the police, while in other

I

conditions active public
help, not merely sympathy,
can act as an effective
check on anti-social ele-
ments.

What form should public
co-operation take ?

To draw a demarcation
line between these two
fields of inaction for the
public, it is best to give
illustration. Assuming that
a mishap, such as a road
accident, an act of hooli-
ganism, or a case of stab-
bing has occured what
form should public co-ope-
ration take so as to ' be
useful to police operations ?
In most such cases, the
scene of accident is gene-
rally over-crowned ' by
people Some may be mute
spectators. Others may
in good faith try to render
such assistance as they
can to the injured. Some'
others out of curiosity,
may take on the role of
detectives. Such publio
reaction, though by no
means peculiar to India,
is not especially helpful
to police operations, un-
less the person or persons
are qualified members of

the medical profession The
fact is that no unoften
does a cluster of p'ople
hamper police work, while
amateurish attempts to
play the doctor or detec-
tive might in some cases
be actually harmfnll, since
th?se would distort or
destroy the clues which
are so important for inves-
tigating the source of an
accident.

'I'hese qualification apart,
inaction in other cases is
not the best from of
public co operation. For
those who may be eye-
witnesses of an accident
should come forward to
help the police to recons
truct the ev nts culminat-
ing in the accident. It is
also neces-ary to rt call
that the law requires tnat
a citizen should not hold
back any material evi-
dence he may come acrcss
about an}' untoward hap-
pening. In Switzerland,
says a writer, "ti e police
have, by a sustained and
planned systed of educa-
tion of the public, been
able to press into service
every one of their citizens