Introduction:
Why
should police officers/men study the subject” Understanding of human Behavior”?
The India Police Act-1861 has put investigating and detection of crime and
criminals as the main twin objectives of the Act. Do investigation and
detection require and necessitate police officers/men to study human behavioral
dynamics? Yes, they do, because
investigation includes interrogation of suspects, interviewing of witness,
questioning of people, collection of criminal intelligence and contacting a
number of people from all walk of life. Today, the police work does not confine
only to investigation and detection of crime. It includes managing people
during a VIP visit, controlling various crowds, groups’ mobs and mob-violence
Police officers/men are called upon to the scene of natural calamities,
accidents, demonstrations, dharanas, processions and all sorts of organized defiance
to authority. All these manifold duties of police require them to have a closer
look, understanding and appreciation of human behavior-not only of the behaviors
of the people with whom police interact in their day to day functioning but
also of their own behaviors.
Perhaps,
the police were considered as an oppressive force in the past. But today the
police are considered as a people oriented services and that too in a democracy
which accept civil rights, human rights and fundamental freedoms of the
citizens. Therefore the working of the human mind should intrigue everyone in
the service so that the police do not make mistakes.
Understanding
the self, self is found to be more difficult that understanding others- individually
or collectively in a group, crowd or mob. Perhaps, understanding people in a crowd
or mob may be more difficult than understanding fellow individuals. With a
basic course in human behavior and the psychology of man, police officers/men
will be better able to understand self and others. The precisely the reason why
the subject Human Behaviors and Police attitude is included in the training
curriculum of all the categories of police functionaries.
Case
Study:
Alagu,
aged 60, a bull cart owner cum drive was asked by the sub-inspector of police
to report before him at police station at 8 AM to record his statement in a
criminal case. He was a witness in the case. He reached the police station at
7.45 AM and he was asked to wait at the station until 12.30 PM and then he was
told to come to the station on the following day. He lost a day’s work and
wages. Added to it he had to spend money from his pocket for his travel and
meet other incidental expenses.
On
his return from police station, he told his experience in the station to many in
his village. To this people reacted:-
·
The
policemen are always like this.
·
They
are inconsiderate to people’s troubles and inconvenience.
·
People
in general are afraid of the police and as such the police have no reluctance
to ask them to wait to go home to come back on the next days together,
particularly when the victims are coming from the poor strata of the society.
·
People
have no option other than obeying the police like a dog. If disobeyed their so
called authoritative instructions (pseudo-authority), the handicapped people
might taste the muscle of the police.
·
Police
treat witnesses and suspect alike and thus went on the comment by public.
What is wrong with police? Why do
people react in this way? Here comes the question of human values.
What is Human Values?
Every society has certain norms of behavior
and everybody who is a member in that society has his own values. This is
called the human values in the society. People living in a particular society
have their common values and they are called the social values. e.g.
·
You
should not use filthy expressions to other fellow beings in society.
·
You
shall not accept bribe for the services you render.
·
You
shall respect other people- their time, convenience and hardships.
These are the social norms which are
also the human values. The society accepts these human values as desirable for,
it is necessary for the well being and harmonious co existence of people. The violation
of these norms social and human values- is resented against by member of the
society. This is called the dominant culture existing in a society. This is
called the dominant culture existing in a society.
Within the dominant culture that
exists in a larger society, there will be several groups which may be formed on
the basis of caste, sub-cast, power and authority, status and economic
positions etc. Such groups may develop their own values norms which may be
different from dominant culture that is seen in a larger society. This is
called the sub-cultural values.
Police, as a group within the society
has developed certain sub-cultural values which they may consider as quite
normal, nevertheless the dominant culture may reject. Going back to the case
study given above, the witness was called to the police station. This is in
fact against the principles of investigation, yet is a normal practice in
police subculture. A time was fixed for recording the statement. Instead of
recording statement the police asked the witness to wait up to 12.30PM. Later
he was asked to come on next day. Everything was quite acceptable, desirable
and usual in police sub-culture, but, the dominant culture could not tolerate
the police behavior rather misbehavior with the witness. According to the
dominant cultural values, the police behavior was indicative of the don’t care
attitude towards witness’s time, convenience, expenses and troubles. No civilized
society will and can tolerate this as police behavior is considered to be violation
of the human values upheld, by the dominant culture of the society.
Research studies conducted on the
subculture values and police behavior within the value system of the dominant
culture in the society shows that many a time these two values conflict each
other. “Policemen have to be punctual, just sincere/attentive, prompt, industrious,
accurate and unselfish if they are to be depended upon the public. Their
service should be made available to the people at the right time at right place.
Delay in police response is adversely commented and police credibility is
questioned. Police inertia and lethargy have become subject to criticism by
other agencies of criminal justice system, the media and the common man”
Violation of Human Values by Police
If the human values entertained by
the society are violated by the police, then they should have guilt feeling. Do
the police have the guilt feelings when they:
·
Make
informal arrests of people?
·
Detain
people in illegal custody?
·
Refuse
the detained to be produced before the court?
If they do not have guilt feeling when they do
so, then the society will surely criticize the police activities and misbehavior
and that is what we are hearing from the public.
National Police Commission and
Police Sub-cultural Values.
Do the police sub-cultural values go
in harmony with the dominant cultural values of the society? The National
Police Commission enumerates any number of instances to show that the sub-cultural
values get social disapproval. Some of such instances noticed by the Commission
are:
·
Deliberate
handcuffing of a person in police custody merely to humiliate him.
·
Non
release of bail after the arrest even in cases where bail can be granted this
is calculated to put the man in more trouble and mental agony.
·
Discretionary
enforcement of law while dealing with public order situation with emphasis on
severity and ruthlessness in regard to persons opposed to the ruling party.
Conclusion:
All said and done, studies conducted
in police show that the people to have appreciation of the police sub-cultural
values. In survey conducted to elicit public opinion about devotion to work, it
was stated by 51% of the respondents positively that more devotion to work is
seen in police when compared with same in another government services. Hence
keep it up.
Please write your comments about
1.
Say
whether or not the police values go in tune with the society’s values
·
Police
language
·
Police
interrogation
·
Police
attitude to complaints
2.
Why
do the police behave the way they do? Is it because:
·
The
society needs such behavior.
·
The
police do not know how to behave
·
The
police think they can afford to behave in any way they want.
·
Police
misbehavior is the proper behavior in police subculture.
·
The
people tolerate police misbehavior.
·
Any
other…….
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