brand logo

Policing the Police before policing the public 

12 Jan 2022

The video of a Police officer receiving instructions from his superior officer, who is an Officer In Charge (OIC), to release a person who was driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, as he was a friend of the OIC, went viral on media during the last few days, and the people started demanding prompt and strict action against the OIC.  However, as more and more details about the incident came to light, the people came to know that it is actually too late to demand prompt action because, according to the Police Media Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police Nihal Thalduwa, the incident had in fact occurred around six months ago, i.e. July of last year, and that the OIC in question is still in the same position despite investigations that recommended action against the OIC as the relevant disciplinary inquiry report recommending action against the said OIC and/or the traffic cop in question, is still circulating within the Police Department with uncertainty concerning whether it has reached the final decision making departmental authorities. What did the Police do for six months when there is clear and undeniable video evidence of the incident as well as recommendations issued through an internal inquiry to take disciplinary action against the OIC, is a question that needs to be asked and answered. The people have every right to ask that question, because the OIC not only forced his subordinate to commit an unlawful act, but also put the lives of the people who were on that road at that time at risk by letting a person under the influence of alcohol drive his vehicle. First of all, this incident and the slow process of taking the recommended disciplinary actions against the OIC raise a question about the Police Department’s efficiency. If the Police Department is not competent enough to take action against a simple incident of an OIC issuing unlawful orders to his subordinate to release a person under the influence of liquor despite the availability of evidence, a question arises as to how the people can expect the department to efficiently look into more complex and serious matters.  There could be many reasons behind the delay of taking action. However, if it is the usual lethargy in implementing decisions we see in certain public institutions, or internal or external support the suspect OIC is receiving, especially to protect his post, that too is a situation that needs to be looked into. The situation is such that, in addition to the incident itself, attention needs to be paid to the underlying reasons that have caused the department to take around six months to conduct an investigation and not implement the recommendations the investigation has resulted in. We cannot call what the OIC in question did a misdemeanour, nor was it an accident. This is a deliberate violation of the OIC’s powers, and an act of exerting undue pressure to make his subordinate commit an offence. Therefore, this is also a matter of the people’s rights and trust in the department, because it is the taxpaying citizens that maintain the Police Department, and the department’s main responsibilities are protecting and serving the people. It is time for the Police to realise that protecting the people also includes protecting the people from those enforcing the law, and serving the people includes fulfilling the Police’s responsibilities for the taxes the people are paying. This incident also shows a reality everyone knows, i.e. sometimes, power and influence supersede the enforcement of the law. Although there is no question that it happens in the society quite often, what we saw in this incident was that even Police officers, especially junior Police officers, are also not safe from the undue exercise of power within the Police force. If junior Police officers trying to do their job have to prioritise the interests of their superior officers over their responsibilities, that raises a serious question about the Police’s priorities, and shows a pressing need for changes within the department to empower Police officers to say no to unlawful orders. The people deserve more promising answers than a mere “we are looking into the incident” or “action will be taken soon”, especially when six months has passed since the incident in question. Most importantly, the people have a right to know why the Police has failed to implement the recommended action despite the availability of clear and undeniable video evidence of an offence. The department owes the people an explanation.


More News..