J&K needs to improve perception about its policing among citizens

Navneet Dubey. Updated: 11/26/2021 11:27:10 AM Front Page

Jammu: It appears that Jammu and Kashmir needs to make a concerted effort to improve perception about its policing, as it has fared below par in almost all parameters in the recently published survey by the Indian Police Foundation (IPF).
The survey has been conducted from 29 States and Union Territories-to gauge public perceptions about the quality of policing in India and the level of public trust in the police.
As per survey the efforts of the J&K Police in containing militant violence in UT were well appreciated by citizens.
According to Index of Public Perceptions and Citizen Satisfaction published in IPF Survey Report on the Indian Police 2021 released few days back, this survey is restricted to people's opinions and perceptions related to the six indicators of competence-based policing and three value-based indicators as well as one on public trust.
However, the comments from the responses point to the need for a deeper probe into the aspects of fear of the police, use of force or unlawful methods by the police, and gender aspects of policing, to name a few.
The SMART Policing idea was envisioned, articulated and introduced by the Prime Minister of India at the Conference of DGPs of State and Central Police Organizations, held at Guwahati, in the year 2014.
IPF identified six competency-based dimensions and three values-based dimensions of trust. Thus, the survey framework comprised two sets of indicators of SMART policing as dimensions of public trust in policing, one set to gauge perceptions about core professional competencies and the other, to assess the perceived adherence to core values and ethical principles.
Competence-Based Indicators included-Perception index of police sensitivity, Perception index of strict and good behavior, Perception index of accessibility, Perception index of police responsiveness, Perception index of helpful and friendly policing and Perception index of technology adoption.
Values Based Indicators included-Perception index of integrity and corruption-free services, Perception index of fair, unbiased and lawful policing and Perception index of police accountability.
J&K came on 20th spot in the IPF Smart Policing Index 2021, with Smart Index Score of 6.26 out of 10. In Police Sensitivity the perception score of J&K was at number 21 with 6.39 score, however the average score was 6.80 while on Perception Score of Strictness and Good Behaviour, the UT came last with a score of 5.71, with an average score of 6.68. On Perception Score of Accessibility J&K was at 19th position with a score of 6.62, while in Perception Score of Police Responsiveness the UT was at 18th position with score of 6.63.
While in the Perception Score of Helpful and Friendly Policing, the J&K UT was at 21 number with score of 6.21, while the average score was 6.68. In Perception Score of Technology Adoption for which an App was also lunched by J&K police recently it was 22nd position with score of 6.32, while the average score was at 6.81.
On Perception Score of Fair, Unbiased and Lawful Policing, the J&K is at 18th number with a score of 6.18, with average score of 6.47. In Integrity and Corruption-free Service the perception score is 5.68 while the average score is 6.23 and in that category UT is at 20th number.
On Police Accountability, the perception score is 6.33 and it was at 18th number and Perception Score of Public Trust in the Police was 6.51 and the UT was at 22th position.
As per the Feedback from the Field Survey Team, In J&K field surveyors reported that many citizens were unaware of the difference between State Police and Central Police Forces like the CRPF, although they considered the Army as a separate entity. Thus, citizens’ perceptions about the work done by State and Central Forces often overlapped. Nevertheless, the efforts of the J&K Police in containing militant violence were well appreciated by citizens, even as J&K saw relatively peaceful days during and prior to the months when the survey was conducted. 92.57% of respondents were from Jammu region and only 7.43% were from the Kashmir valley.
Updated On 11/26/2021 11:47:23 AM


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