A confidential note issued by the Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Panaji has ruffled feathers within and outside the force. SP Nelson Albuquerque, in a note issued on July 17, 2024, which he mentions is approved by the Director General of Police points to an increasing number of police officials indulging in alcohol and drugs which in turn affects their physical and mental health. He mentions that restrooms have become a habitual place where officers and lower staff consume alcohol and other drugs while on duty besides gambling within the premises of police stations. The SP has directed all station heads to make a list of such officials and submit it to respective SPs for necessary action while also informing them that henceforth, there will be surprise visits.
The note comes days after the new DGP Alok Kumar, who replaced Jaspal Singh, began his familiarisation exercise of the force with visits to various police stations to take stock and discuss ways to improve policing. The new DGP Kumar takes charge at a crucial juncture when public confidence in policing has hit a new low. He walks in when the crime graph continues to rise — burglaries, thefts, murders, rapes, molestations, etc. Kumar walks in when the police have been charged with being partners in crime and hand-in-glove with criminals after the sensational Assagao bungalow demolition case. The police may boast of a high detection rate, but that is overshadowed by the rate and the manner in which crime is happening. The gruesome murder of a 69-year-old Canadian returnee at Orda Candolim is a recent example, and there are dozens of incidents where policing is failing miserably.
Charity begins at home, so goes the adage, a phrase that very much applies here. It is a welcome sign that the police leadership identified the grey areas within, and initiated course correction. The question here is, why was such a nuisance tolerated all this while, especially drugs? Are we to believe that this evil is just discovered? Are we to believe station heads had no clue about their force?
Policemen have a long history of alcoholism and gambling, and it was never a secret. Let alone constables and lower-level staff, top police officers have shamed the force with their escapades in pubs and discos. Many have been involved in late-night brawls under the influence of alcohol. Police have managed to get away with their misadventures, thanks to the power they wield, the pulls and pressures within the system, and an opaque inquiry system.
This note by the SP must be welcome against the murk that surrounds the force. It has gone public and may have embarrassed a few, but one must appreciate the intent behind it. Police indulging in drugs is something very serious and makes a mockery of the system because they themselves are tasked with the job of tracking those in the drug trade and use. A State that vows zero tolerance towards drugs, can't apply a different set of rules to police.
Finally, much will depend on how the top cop puts the directives in motion and takes this forward. More important would be how he deals with situations hereon mindful of the fact there are coteries and political influences at play. A cleansing is long overdue.
