The above scene used to take place day after day. But that was during the British era. The policemen of Delhi wore half pants, had proud headgear and were turned out smartly. The present-day policemen are pot-bellied, wear crumpled trousers, broken shoes, and hardly any one takes notice of their turn out except during the Republic Day Parade.

The policemen have been reduced to the job of ‘chowkidars’ of third-rate politicians and in many cases criminals-turned-politicians. The policemen were not hired or trained for this job. Till the tragic invasion of Mumbai by terrorists from abroad, I believed that the NSG existed only to protect the politicians of India? What a waste of this elite force. Almost every other politician seems to be surrounded by “black cat commandos” Why?

It is time that the people of India demand that the police are allowed to do the job for which it exists. They should be immediately taken off from the job of protecting the politicians other than the President of India, Vice President of India, the Prime Minister and may be a few others holding high office under the Constitution.

Let us get back to the days of the Jawaharlal Nehru’s era or the preceding British period.

If others want protection, let them arrange it from private security agencies. It is the business of the state to protect each and every citizen. Why should the politicians be treated as super citizens of India, which they are not.

It is time that the country got back its “beat policemen”. These were the men who were the backbone of law and order. They knew the area under their beat; who lived there; who came and went and so on. The people of his beat knew the beat policemen and his was also the friendly face of the police amidst them.

If you honestly want to restore law and order, then you need to restore the police to the status that it had half-a-century ago. At best a lady beat constable should help the lone beat constable.

The police stations all over India need to be refurbished to bring them in line with today’s needs. The old system of informers for the police station needs to be enforced strictly to ensure that the money meant for informers is not being pocketed by the in charge of the police station. Perhaps it is time to term the informer as “secret police officer” SPO and pay them on record, though secretively. These were the men—the ordinary cobbler, paan wala, newspaper boy, the ‘rehri wala’ who would take pains to keep looking out for the odd one and report to the police station.

In the U. K. it is said that almost bulk of the ‘black cab’ taxi operators in London are police informers on the quiet. If that is true, then what a sea of informants and eyes that police in the UK have to keep a watch on the crime and criminals.

It is imperative that the police in India are restored their honour and pride in the job they are supposed to do. The politicians have done enough damage by treating them as their “personal security officers” PSOs. This needs to come to an end. It is NOT the job of the police to protect an individual or his family,

It is also necessary to restructure the police. We may adopt the British model which it would be easier transition for the police force of India.

That should not be an impossible task. We have seen smartly turned out policemen during the Republic Day Parade march past. The smart contingents are capable of converting themselves into highly motivated professionals.

Properly trained, they would be able to maintain law and order, infiltrate into the ranks of local terror modules and be able to fight effectively any threat to the nation’s civil society. ‘Chowkidars’ of politicians cannot do that job.

Let the police forces do their job professionally, independently and without fear. (ANI)