The universally accepted principle of community is that the police is a part of the community and not apart from it. The police and community work together to find out what communities needs are; the police, public and other agencies work together in partnership; the business of policing is specifically designed to meet community needs; the community is empowered to root out the causes of its social and security problems; and, diversity in the police force reflects diversity in the community and meets the needs of different social actors.

It has proposed the following measures to strengthen public confidence in the police: open access to all police services; the availability of police services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; a highly visible police presence; aggressive public information campaigns; the creation of public forums and civil society engagements so that police actions are monitored and evaluated regularly; the representation of minority groups and balanced ethnic composition in the police service; the promotion of gender balance in the police force and gender mainstreaming in all police work.

Police forces need to be seen as a friend of the citizens, someone in whom a common man should repose trust and faith. However, the existing scenario is different. It is strange that though the police are the only visible arm of the state it commands little respect from the masses; it is seen more as a bully rather than as an ally. Today, most people try to avoid approaching a policeman for help. They are either convinced that a policeman is ineffective and unlikely to help or that he or she is likely to make matters worse. If one reads from reports in the press and even from occasional experiences of individuals, there is still a long distance to cover in transforming our police forces to this ideal.

Who does not want a safe and secure environment for women everywhere? A law is already afoot to make it mandatory for the police to work in close coordination with the people. The draft Model Police Act seeking to replace the continuing British colonial absurdity of 1861 inter alia contains provision of community participation in policing in metropolitan cities and in respect of village guards, village defence party and community liaison groups in rural areas. It has been prepared by a committee of exports for the Union Home Ministry. As of today the police evokes fear more than respect and is not surprisingly, therefore, butt of many jokes one of which is: “Three police squads — the Scotland Yard police, the New York police and the Indian police contest for the best police force award. The judges lead them to forests and assign them the mission. One which captures an adult lion and brings it back alive in the fastest time will be adjudged the best. First, the Scotland Yard goes into the forest and comes back in half an hour with a lion all tied up. Then the New York police go in and come back in 15 minutes with a tied up lion. Lastly the Indian brigade goes in, 15 minutes, half an hour, one hour and no sign of our Indian brigade. The judges give up and decide to search for them. They go into the forest. After some searching, they find the Indian yelling near a tree. The Indian brigade has tied up a big bear to a tree and one of them is shouting: Admit that that you are a lion.