‘Citizens should respect the law and cops should be courteous’

Nagpur: Former commissioner of police Ankush Dhanvijay, an IPS officer of 1982-batch, is miffed about the back-to-back assaults on police in city earlier this week. The cop-turned-lawyer, who retired in 2012, said society cannot do away with the police and citizens must show respect to the force that sacrifices so much for them. Excerpts from interview:
Q. What is your reaction to the repeated assaults on police in city?

A. Imagine a busy junction in city without traffic police for an hour and what a motorist would undergo. One must also know a traffic police puts in 8-10 hours of duty on the road standing continuously amid vehicular traffic inhaling smoke and pollution in the heat of Nagpur before even thinking of raising their hands on him or her. Citizens must respect the law and the cops who enforce the law for the benefit of all. There is no alternative to this.

Q. What should police do in such a situation?

A. The incumbent CP (BK Upadhyay) has already vowed to take strict action against the perpetrators. I would advocate seizing the vehicles of those targeting the police. Seizing is legal as the vehicle is the cause of action. Examine the records of perpetrators, then follow up with preventive and other exemplary actions. There is also need of introspection and senior officers must analyze the incident and take corrective actions.

Q. What should police do to avoid violent confrontations?

A. They should be courteous. Should take action but avoid high-handedness. There is a difference between being strict and being rude. There is no need to get into argument while challaning someone. The cops should send a strong and clear message that if there’s a violation, a challan would be issued.

Q. What should citizens do if cops are on the wrong side?

A. First, they should avoid taking law into their own hand. One should approach senior officers in case there is any high-handedness or other grievance. Have trust and faith. No other department penalizes it’s own staff as harshly as we do. We rebuke, reprimand, stop increments, suspend, transfer and even dismiss whenever faults come to fore. Citizens should know how we take disciplinary actions against our own colleagues. They should show some respect and support.

Q. What should the police chief do in such situations?

A. The city cannot have a more positive thinking CP than the present one (Upadhyay) in terms of public relations, pro-citizen approach and benevolent measures. He believes in rapport between police and public. I am sure he would fairly look into the issues that every CP must do and take corrective measures.