NCJ Number
105530
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 60 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-March 1987) Pages: 66-71
Date Published
1987
Length
6 pages
Annotation
In India, the stress of police working and living conditions, the low esteem in which the public holds the police, violence against police, and various cultural values contribute to police brutality and the excessive use of deadly force; police administrators must counteract these influences.
Abstract
Police in India work 16-hour days 7 days a week. In many police stations, the officers live in houses which have been declared unfit for habitation. The public accords police low esteem, producing alienation between citizens and police. The killing of police is a routine occurrence in India, and this frightens and enrages officers. The public presses the police to do more about crime, but the police lack the personnel, technological, and financial resources to meet the challenge. Police are also vulnerable to the adoption of vigilante methods as the see many defendants released due to lack of sufficient evidence to meet the burden of proof. Police are influenced by cultural values that demean certain segments of the population, which are often targets of police aggression. Overall, these factors place Indian police at high risk for aggressive and brutal behavior. Such behavior must be countered through effective internal supervision and the development of a climate of organizational opinion that inhibits police abuse of authority and the excessive use of violence.