Why do the police behave the way they do?

The question arises why do the police behave the way they do? In a study conducted on police behaviours, it has been observed as under:

1.       According to 82.96% the police behave courteously only ‘at times’

2.       69.49% stated that sub-inspectors behaved discourteously, 90.40% reported that the constables too, behaved discourteously, 78.12% said that the Assistant Sub-Inspectors misbehaved discourteously to the public.

Police in action

The reasons for the misbehavior on the part of the police are found to be many and various and they are:

a.       The police think that they can afford to behave in the way they do to the people. The police enjoy vast power under the law. They have authority and strength wo much so that the general public are not prepared to react against the police misbehaviour of discourteous behviour.

b.      The police have a uniform which they wear after undergoing sufficient physical training which gives to them some confidence that they can handle people who are not similarly trained. The training, the weapons, the lathies, which the policemen has with him give added courage to him. He has a feeling that he is a legion and behind him there is a force of man to power coupled with the authority of law.

c.       People approve of police misbehaviours towards criminals, hooligans, goondas, eve-teasers, rowdies etc. for they think that such people do not deserve a better treatment than what they receive now. The public visibility is taken for granted by the police as a licence to behave discourteously with all kinds of people in society.

There are instances in which the police behave rated to be enviable. For example:

I.                    During bundh, the police remove the road blocks and make the roads usable for vehicular traffic. They carry sick people to hospital and take up risks to face any law and other situations that may be created by the people who are try to make bundh a success. In so doing the policemen are attacked.

II.                  During a natural calamity, the service rendered by the police received wide public acceptance and recognition. The policemen involve in such social activities as a result of their conviction that they are primarily a service and not a force. This social commitment of the service is so much seen in police that they work for welfare of the society even when people in other walks of life show indifference to such issues.

FORMATION OF POLICE PERSONALITY:

                A new entrant to the police department starts developing his self concept as a police officer by associating himself with other police officers. A realistic self concept that is congruent with social aspiration an expectations can be given only if adequate opportunities are provided to him for the proper personality development with desirable personality traits. But what is seen today is the lack of environments for development of desirable personality traits. This can be graphically shown below:  

A new entrant to the police service has heredity potentialities to develop in a proper way. For this, he needs conducive environments for the proper development of personality traits in a desirable fashion. The more is the conducive environment for the development, the better it is for the developing person of the police.

CHARACTERISTIC OF POLICE SUB-CULTURE

                                As it is, there is an allegation that the police sub-culture is pregnant with-

a.       Informal arrest and illegal detentions;

b.      Torture coercion and use of third degree;

c.       Corruption and susceptibility to influence;

d.      Political interference;

e.      Concoction of evidence and production of false witnesses;

f.        Harassing of public and causing troubles to them;

g.       Treat people with disrespect and in a degrading way.

h.      Use of vulgar language and epithets;

i.         Deal with people without consideration and sympathy;

j.        Show partiality and unjust approaches.

The police sub-culture also consists of desirable personality characteristics and they are seen in many areas of police work, namely:

a.       The doors of police stations are never closed. They work round the clock.

b.      They risk their lives when they face violent agitation and aggressive tactics of an angry crowd.

c.       They devote a lot of time in patrolling the jurisdiction and in preventing crimes. They work in adverse social milieu which does not offer security to their lives and property.

If this is true, then developing police personality will consist of all or many of such undesirable personality traits. In such a sub culture, it may be difficult for the police to behave courteously to the public especially when the society’s culture approves of the police sub-culture without questioning.

FORMATION OF DEFECTIVE SUPER-EGO

Super-ego consists of the totality of the do’s and don’t in police activities. The code of conduct for the police teaches the do’s and don’t in police functioning. The national police commission and also ministry of home affairs have clearly put down the code of conducts for the police in India. A police sub-culture where the super-ego is not properly formed, it becomes difficult and sometimes impossible for the proper development of the right super-ego formation. The judgments from the courts of law amply prove to show that the police are not keen to observe the super ego concepts in them. The observations of the courts sometimes show that the police are dirtying the law by their dirty methods and dirtier strategies of action. The police sub-culture which is formed by effective super-ego concepts will make a service which does not feel guilty if at all the super-ego principles are violated.

HOW DOES THE DEFECTIVE SUPER-EGO IS FORMED IN POLICE SUB-CULTURE?

The defective super-ego concepts in police sub culture are formed by accepting any or all the under mentioned strategies adopted in police work. They are:

I.                    Unacceptable traits are sometimes encouraged more than acceptable traits;

II.                  Undesirable traits are sometimes tolerated even when desirable traits are warranted by the situation.

III.                Abnormal traits are sometimes favored more than normal traits in police sub-culture;

IV.                Negative traits are nurtured better than positive traits in police functioning;

V.                  Inhuman traits are treated as human traits;

VI.                Unethical traits are regarded as ethical traits in police work.

Of course, the association and attitude formation of the new entrant to the police profession are decided by several factors like norm of organization, the value and attitudes of the senior police officers in the department, the general climate of the discipline prevailing in the department, inculcation of finer points in behavior and human contacts etc. The desirable personality traits and behavioural patterns are affected in individual police officers through the process of learning, communication and observation of what is going on in the police sub culture and therefore the atmosphere prevailing in police station and organization should be such to develop further socialization and correct attitude formation in police officers.

Can you give your own opinion for the reason for the following behavior in police sub-culture:

a.       Misbehavior to the poor and the needy.

b.      Misbehavior to witnesses’ complainants, informers and suspects.

Your comments are highly appreciated.