Former IPS officer's book seeks to bridge gap between citizens, police

There is a gap between citizens and police due to an apparent lack of knowledge of how police functions and a new book 'Capital Cops' seeks to address it, specifically in the context of Delhi Police.

According to author Suvashis Choudhary, who recently retired as Joint Commissioner, Southern Range, Delhi Police, the purpose of writing the book is to demystify the system of police for the common people.

The former IPS officer says that there is a need to make people aware that behind the police which they see on the road, there is a well-oiled and time-tested system at work.

"They need to be aware of how and under what condition the police functions. For example, how a case is registered and investigation is taken up in a police station, how the personnel are recruited and trained, how does the beat system work, how is night patrolling done, what does the crime branch do, what happens when you dial 100 (now 112) for police assistance," he says.

"The idea was to contextualize the performance of the capital's police force to highlight the challenges and limitations and enable its fair and unbiased appraisal. Moreover, Delhi Police owes a primer to the citizens of Delhi. They draw their knowledge about their police either from the crime columns of newspapers or from social media chatter, interspersed with occasional press releases from the PR department. The reality of Delhi Police lies somewhere in between. This book is the first, albeit a partial attempt, to fill this void," he adds.

The author of the yet-to-be-released book says that the description of the Delhi Police covers only those aspects that concern the citizens, whether as recipients of its service or as members of the civil society with a stake in the health of an important organ of the state.

He says Delhi Police is responsible for policing India's capital city and what makes it unique is the strange mix of history, culture and tradition which has been instrumental in its evolution.

"No other police force has shaped and has been shaped by the course of history as much. Delhi Police is not one of many but truly one of its kind," he says.

Noting that Delhi Police has stood watch over the city in happy and sad moments, the author says it has never rested and never stopped.

"No other police force in India is subject to such a critical and relentless oversight of its functioning. It still marches on, relearning, reengineering and reinventing itself. However much Delhi Police is vilified and mocked, it remains a role model for other police forces in the country. Even a small initiative taken by it is minutely studied and emulated by others," he says.

Suvashis Choudhary joined Delhi Police as an Assistant Commissioner of Police and handled challenging assignments in various wings including local, traffic, security, anti-corruption and economic offences wing in his service of over three decades.

He also served in the United Nations Peace-keeping Mission in Kosovo where he held a leadership position.

Choudhary, who holds a post-graduate degree in economics and an MBA and is pursuing PhD at IIT Delhi, is a recipient of the President's Medal for Distinguished Service and the Police Medal for Meritorious Service.

( With inputs from ANI )