This two-part series examines the importance of community policing and how it can be useful in dealing with India’s internal security challenges.
India's internal security dynamics are complex, active, and susceptible to external variables, including border skirmishes, disinformation, and anti-national elements evolving their modus operandi, and increased use of the online platform to fund their purpose. Whereat, the socio-regional imbalances, demagoguery, and diminished sense of security have fuelled major challenges—left-wing extremism, sub-nationalism in the Northeast, insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, and terrorism to the point that even non-agitated regions are getting caught in the fire. According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau data, a total number of 2,243 ‘incidents of violence by anti-national elements’, including the Northeast insurgency, jihadi terrorists, left-wing extremism, and other terrorists were reported between the years 2017–2020. Where a decline is expected, the data show variations each year.
Community-oriented policing focuses on roots to curb vulnerability to indigenous sources, whilst simultaneously increasing resistance towards the subversion by exogenous forces.
This unpredictability of internal security disturbances requires addressing insecurity at both the individual and community level—a shift away from traditional security practices that not only benefit the community as a whole but also encourage active community participation. Community-oriented policing focuses on roots to curb vulnerability to indigenous sources, whilst simultaneously increasing resistance towards the subversion by exogenous forces. Community policing as a policy promises to yield long-term results. Numerous initiatives practiced and launched in identified disturbed regions demonstrate its application in Indian states as a model to be carried forward for internal security management.
Community-oriented policing is an intangible contract between the police and the community that allows them to work together, proactively, to prevent, detect, and solve local-level crime, and disorder in a creative way so that they can keep their neighbourhood crime-free. More than a programme, community policing is a philosophy that assumes a positive relationship between police and the public in the quest to control crime and further accumulate their resources to address the exigent concerns of the community.
The broad concept of community policing has three components: Community partnerships, organisational structure, and problem-solving which moulds its understanding and implementation in numerous ways. To achieve the best combination of these three components, energy, trust, and patience are requisite for the internal-external mobilisation and involvement of the community. A gradual rapport-building is important for police personnel and their team to gain the public’s confidence, wherein social institutions play as assets. And it only catalyses the process when people accept their share of responsibility.
India’s experiences of community policing mechanisms adhere to decentralisation and proactive problem-solving in fighting not just terrorism, but also the ideology of terrorism.
Surveys conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and India Police Foundation, respectively, found that despite satisfactory discharge of duties towards law and order, interaction with police can be exhausting and costly. To a good extent, credit goes to the British perpetuated Police Act 1861. Both studies also highlighted that areas, that have adopted community policing models show high cooperation amongst citizens. The National Police Commission (1977) and Padmanabhaiyah Committee (2000) also recommended community policing as an important part of police functioning. Many community policing initiatives like the Mohalla committee in Maharashtra, Janamaithri in Kerala, Friends of Police Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, and Maithri in Andhra Pradesh have produced expected results overall.
India’s experiences of community policing mechanisms adhere to decentralisation and proactive problem-solving in fighting not just terrorism, but also the ideology of terrorism. Radicalisation in India is not a myth, however, it is centered around Islamic extremism. Community policing efforts draw a barrier between the public and the staged processes leading to violent extremism.
After proxies in Jammu and Kashmir, and Gulf’s pro-ISIS influence in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh is also counted in terrorism-radicalisation hotspots. In recent arrest cases of al-Qaeda operatives and rampant ISIS calls to join the “caliphate” in Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana, NIA reported seizing weaponry, explosive materials, and reconnoitering individuals. This evolving problem of radicalisation and terrorism views India as one of the potential grounds to weld its exponents to increase polarisation and false perceptions about security forces. Not to ignore the challenge of youth disenchantment- terrorists take advantage of an individual’s or community's insecurities and inadequacies. And it is only a matter of time before radicalisation evolves to be a violent act.
Engaging the community in addressing radicalisation and youth alienation reverses the push and pull factors and gives a strong base for creating resistance, adding support to search and other necessary hard power operations.
The rise of a new category of “hybrid terrorists” in the Kashmir Valley—locals that operate mainly online on whom police have no previous records—tells about prevalent youth disengagement and local support for militancy. Engaging the community in addressing radicalisation and youth alienation reverses the push and pull factors and gives a strong base for creating resistance, adding support to search and other necessary hard power operations. So that even after the apprehension of near ones, the public can be cooperative in the process of prevention and deradicalisation. One such model, Operation Sadbhavna and other WHAM “winning hearts and minds”, launched by the army to lessen the trust deficit and spot over ground workers in Jammu and Kashmir has certainly been a successful effort. The Jammu and Kashmir police force has likewise begun to perceive public support as essential for police efficacy—Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy is leading courses for the staff on community policing and the formation of police-public partnership groups.
In the Global Terrorism Index, 2017, Lt General VK Ahluwalia of the Indian Army’s Central Command noted that an integrated approach with the cooperation of civil society plays a significant role in coordinating state elements to fight terrorism and insurgencies. The 2008 Batla House incident and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks are only two examples of how a lack of public engagement in crime prevention not only generates distrust but also impairs investigation and data collection in violent acts, which could have helped connect the dots between terrorist activities. Community-oriented policing relies on the participation, support, and trust of residents in the creation, implementation, and evaluation of counterterrorism policies to improve their efficacy. Locals form a great source of information and intelligence, coming from social media, ‘neighbourhood watch’, and institutions. The public, as invariably the first responders, keeps a close watch and helps in the identification of certain threats and vulnerabilities in their area, which officials might not reach. The approach further strengthens intergovernmental and inter-agency cooperation, i.e., helping to come up with holistic solutions.
Delhi Police has been running civil engagement initiatives, Nigheban, Eyes & Ears, Yuva, and other outreach apps to name a few, to gear-up anti-terror preparedness. Last year, following reports of a terrorist attack during the festival time, Delhi police held meetings with RWAs, the Aman committee, and 'eyes and ears scheme' stakeholders. Likewise, Kerala police have worked to prevent terror and radicalisation through their flagship community policing scheme, the Janamaithri Suraksha Project. Their Vision 2030 plan lays out a road map for the future that emphasises the use of technology to foster police–community relations, especially along coastal lines. Odisha, on the other hand, ensures coastal security with the support of the fishermen's community at 18+ maritime police stations.
The public, as invariably the first responders, keeps a close watch and helps in the identification of certain threats and vulnerabilities in their area, which officials might not reach.
Community policing in counterterrorism evidently has been useful to minimise the aftereffects of a violent attack. Mumbai’s Mohalla community, which is established on a similar theme, serves as a hub for open channels between different communities and the police, particularly for communal harmony, through regular committee meetings, festival celebrations, and facilities for children and youth. Similarly, Punjab police took corroborative steps to establish community policing after the Pathankot attack. They have also extended the scope of their project ‘SAANJH’ for post-terrorism stability.
In essence, community-oriented policing is an alternative policing that is transparent and inclusive to the community it experiences. It allows crime control without putting an additional burden on security forces. In India, as a ‘democracy in action’, it is largely limited to the state and district levels when combating radicalisation and terrorism. The public has been engaged in intelligence gathering and collaborative efforts to ascertain their share of responsibility for counterterrorism. Whereas, community policing to counter-radicalisation has to first address prevailing insecurities in a community. It operates more like a support system. WHAM programmes in Jammu and Kashmir yielded healing results but due to a lack of opportunities and constant military operations, these initiatives tend to wear out quickly. Also, community policing programmes in other states started with the aim of developing relations which have been progressing as one of the counterterrorism tools. Police play a key role in handling internal security situations and anti-terror squads need to be trained in community engagement models in consonance with traditional operatives.
Thus, India’s significant attempts to contrive a symbiotic relationship between the security forces and the public for combating the ideology of terrorism, at the macro level, stand to be an effective tool.
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