How does political interference affect the work of police?Political interference weakens the work and credibility of the police. Officers are often transferred at the will of politicians, which affects investigations and demoralizes the police. Actions against the opposition or misuse of investigative agencies are taken at the behest of politicians. Due to this, people do not consider the police to be impartial.Misuse of the sedition law and the arrest of activists or journalists are also politically motivated. Surveys show that many policemen have to data-face political pressure during investigations. This raises questions on the impartiality of the police.What suggestions did the committees and the supreme court give for police reform?Many committees and the supreme court have given suggestions for police reform. The National police Commission advised separating investigation and law and order and givinga fixed tenure to officers. The Ribeiro and Padmanabhaiah Committees emphadata-sized on independent monitoring, modern training and community policing. The Malimath Committee talked about forensic facilities and a central investigative agency.The supreme Court's Prakash Singh judgment ordered the creation of a State Security Commission, giving fixed tenure to senior officers and separating investigation. The Model police Act (2006) and the NHRC (2021) recommended increasing autonomy, accountability and public engagement, such as installing CCTVs in police stations.What are the challenges of modernizing the police to deal with modern crimes?There are many difficulties in modernizing the police. Many policemen do not get training in cyber crime, forensic science and new methods. This delays investigations. police stations have old equipment and lack technology. There are few forensic tools, surveillance systems and cyber crime tracking facilities. Paper work is still done manually. The number of forensic scientists is also low. Even in cities, the police have few modern weapons and security equipment. Money and technological changes are needed to overcome these shortcomings.
