Kerala police seek an image makeover: Say No to abusive words, rude behaviour

Kerala police are notorious for the raw deal that they generally extend to the public. But the new Director General of Police T P Senkumar, known for his integrity and clean track record, is determined to give an image makeover to his men in khaki by laying out a strict code of behaviour for them.

At official briefings and through Facebook postings, he urges them to be courteous to the public, shun abusive words and not to forget to say ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ where needed so as to eliminate the fear and aversion among the people towards the police.

The code of conduct suggested by him for the police in a recent circular goes like this:

• Follow etiquette and use decent language while interacting with the public.
• Don’t address the public disrespectfully like ‘eda, poda, vada’.
• Say ‘thank you’ to the public who extend any help to them and ‘sorry’ if any inconvenience is caused to the public by the police by any action.
• During traffic checking, don’t use harsh words, especially to ladies and senior citizens, and detain the vehicles for a long time without any reason.
• If the driver of the vehicle you inspect is a male, then address him as ‘sir’ or ‘friend’, if the driver is a female then address her ‘madam’ or ‘sister’. If the travelers are a family or senior citizens try not to trouble them.
• Don’t summon women and the elderly to the police station unnecessarily.
• Don’t deny chance to the common man to meet any senior officer.
• Don’t accept bribes and physically harm anyone even if the person has committed a crime. Don’t create the impression that things will move only by bribing policemen.

The DGP says he is receiving complaints about bad behaviour of police personnel with the public. This has brought bad name to the police force. He has asked Deputy Superintendents of Police to take corrective measures and take complaints against police personnel seriously. He has also asked senior officers to take classes for the lower ranked officials, monitor their progress and encourage policemen who earn the respect and regard of the public.

The DGP says: “A state’s culture depends on how a police officer behaves at traffic spots, and help visiting tourists.”

In his efforts to make police people-friendly, the DGP has opened a Facebook page where the citizens can interact with him directly through the page titled “State Police Chief Kerala”.

“Suggestions from the public, especially the ones made after due study, are welcome. This platform aims at making the police more efficient by learning from creative suggestions. Use the facility in a proper way and don’t misuse it,” the DGP says.

The DGP has also activated a Whatsapp number for the people to complain against violation of traffic rules. People can send details and images of traffic violations to the number 9747001099 and the DGP promises quick follow-up to maximum possible number of complaints.

As they say, old habits die hard and only time will tell how far the DGP’s well-meaning initiatives will help bring about a behavioural change in the uniformed personnel.

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