Are they contradictory terms ? All policemen were darogas as far as my grandmother was concerned.

Like most middle class and peace-loving people, she too nursed a healthy contempt for the men in uniform, who, she thought, were needlessly rude, violent, abusive and of course corrupt. When, therefore, one of my aunts decided to marry an IPS officer, my granny was initially crestfallen. She wailed like she never did. A great tragedy, she was sure, was about to unfold.

The groom, to her pleasant surprise, turned out to be tall, handsome and suave with a penchant for literature and culture. He eventually turned out to be one of her most favourite sons-in-law. But by and large we continue to view policemen as villains or comic characters.

Hindi films and serials on television have reinforced the image of policemen who always arrive after the horses have bolted. Policemen themselves have done nothing to change that popular impression of them as an insensitive brute.

Most of them have a permanent scowl on their face, almost as if they are expected to frown and look stern. Many of them seem to enjoy using the stick, while some are trigger-happy. A large majority are not averse to accepting bribes or a good drink and look the other way when laws are broken. Many of them keep company with the underworld, accept hospitality of scoundrels and flock around corrupt but influential politicians.

They themselves reel off stories of how police posts are auctioned and how much money the fellow policemen have made. The guys at the bottom rungs blame the seniors, who, they complain, do not set an example or lead from the front. The senior officers plead helplessness and blame either poor quality of human resources or political interference for not being able to deliver. That, sadly in short, is one side of the coin.

On the other hand one finds the policemen being lowly paid. There is certainly a case for paying policemen more than the chaprasi or the driver in the government.

After all, policemen put in longer hours and run greater risks. But one suspects they are treated at par. What?s more, the government appears determined to rob the policemen of their dignity.

A policeman should have a minimum of four sets of uniform to look reasonably clean and smart. Most of them, however, dress in shabby clothes, which might not have been washed for some time. Many constables are seen in canvas shoes on duty, as if they are about to embark on a game of tennis.

If the policeman?s weapon is his uniform, which people ought to respect, much greater care needs to be paid to the uniform than the government pays right now. Surely ministers and police officers cannot be oblivious of the needs of their men ? They do appear blissfully unaware of the role the uniform plays in the force. And, why only uniform ? The living and working conditions of the police stations continue to be pathetic.

Not much thought appears to have been given on designing a modern police station and setting them up swiftly. A uniform design, once it is finalised, can be used to set up, say 20 police stations in each district to start with. With proper planning, they can be made functional in less than four months. But the government has not been able to do so even in the last five years.

The jeeps, the motorcycles, the walkie talkies, the cell phones, more sophisticated firearms etc. are requirements that the government has been paying lip-service to. If the policemen are expected to lay down their lives to protect the lives of citizens, they need to develop some respect for themselves and their work first while the government needs to respect their needs.

In 2002 Jharkhand apparently had less than 9,000 policemen. The number went up to nearly 18,000 by 2003 and might have gone up further in the last two years. It is interesting to observe that in 2003 Chattisgarh and Uttaranchal, in contrast, had 12,000 and 10,000 policemen respectively. Even Bihar, which has a population that is three times higher than Jharkhand, had 42,000 policemen although Orissa apparently had 27,000 men.

Neither the recruitment nor their training appear to have made much difference to policing in the state.

Friendly and efficient police stations, smart and fast policemen, easy accessibility, quick reaction and intelligent investigation are what citizens expect from the police.

People have a huge stake in an efficient and effective police force. The state has an opportunity to break out of the parent-state syndrome and give shape to a more dynamic force. Involvement of the people and suggestions from them will naturally go a long way to give shape to the future. But is anybody listening ?