DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 26: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has directed 3 police training institutes in the country to prepare training modules for State police personnel to tackle crime in tribal areas and strengthen village policing.
According to reports, the MHA’s move comes in the backdrop of recommendations submitted on February 10 by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in its 237th report.
So far, the institutes to have received directives from the Centre are Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), SardarVallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) Hyderabad, and North East Police Academy (NEPA), Shillong.
The Parliamentary panel had recommended that SVPNPA, Hyderabad, and NEPA, Shillong, may collaborate with State training institutes to include the study of the cultural gap among the tribes and include their aspirations and tradition as part of the training curriculum of the police personnel.
“The training manual of the States may also be suitably amended so that the police officers are made aware of local traditions and customs, particularly of tribals and other vulnerable groups”, read a section of the Committee’s reports.
The Parliamentary panel also said that police personnel posted in tribal belt should have regular interaction with the tribal leaders, NGO activists, non-State representatives like Lawyers, University Professors, Scholars having specialisation in tribal issues, for better handling of crimes in their areas.
As per reports, Centre is also willing to revise and strengthen the ‘village police system’ since the villages are now getting closer to towns with an increase in population.
The Parliamentary Committee had also asked the MHA to coordinate with States and Union Territories to make arrangements for providing training to members of the village policing system about their role and responsibilities to help the police in the maintenance of law and order in rural areas.
It further recommended that the BPR&D undertake a study by collecting State-wise data on the village policing system in the country in order to make a proper assessment of the prevalence and performance of village policing in the country.
The panel also suggested that the MHA may encourage the States/UTs and incentivise them to set up village policing systems as it would reduce the burden of the local police stations at semi-urban, Notified Area Councils (NACs) and towns in policing, vigilance and crime prevention.
(Page News Service)
