Mumbai: ‘Is complaints authority willing to take action against cops?’

A recent report by Praja Foundation an NGO indicates a staggering 97 per cent surge in grievance complaints against police personnel compared to previous years The findings reveal that the State Police Complaints Authority SPCA received a total of 869 grievances in 2022 The SPCA is mandated to address serious violations of the law or abuse of lawful authority by the police It has the power to conduct inquiries receive evidence hold hearings and issue final recommendations to the police departmentThree out of the five positions in the State Police Complaints Authority are currently vacant Representation PicAtul KambleP K Jain former SPCA member and exadditional director general said ldquoThe State Police Complaints Authority was set up in 2015 and was fully functional in 2017 We had a chairman and members at that time However the authority is working with half of its strength nowrdquo ldquoWhen I was on the authority 65 per cent of the complaints we used to receive were about nonregistration of FIRs and about 25 per cent for noninvestigation or faulty investigation About four to five per cent were about misbehaviourrdquo Jain said According to the NGOrsquos report a mere 20 per cent of complaints underwent inquiry in 2022 shedding light on potential gaps in the redressal processlsquoRedressal unit neededrsquoGodfrey Pimenta trustee of Watchdog Foundation advocates for the establishment of a redressal unit within police stations Emphasising the need for a change in the police forcersquos attitude he suggested the implementation of both physical and online redressal mechanisms ldquoThe police are hesitant to register FIRs in petty issues They take note of serious offences very diligently A redressal unit is needed at police stations and online too There has to be a change in the attitude of the police forcerdquo Pimenta saidIn 2022 53 per cent of complaints were transferred to the Divisional Police Complaints Authority after scrutiny as per the report Police officers in the city acknowledge the increased awareness among the public about their rights contributing to the rise in complaints An officer said that the state has established a forum for raising concerns leading to greater public awareness Another officer stated that the police department is unique in having a wellestablished redressal method This assertion suggests that the reported increase in complaints may be a result of the existence of a formalised complaint system within the police departmentAbha Singh an advocate and former bureaucrat sees the increase in complaints as a positive sign suggesting heightened awareness among the public regarding their rights ldquoIt is a positive thing that the grievances against the police personnel have seen a significant rise That means people are more aware of their rights and wouldnrsquot tolerate wrongdoings from the police force But the bigger question is whether the state complaints authority is willing to take any action against the police Retired police officers are on the panel Will they take any action against their own forcerdquo Singh saidClosure of complaintsThe report further highlights the closure of complaints revealing a substantial increase from 31 per cent in 2020 to 78 per cent in 2022 Data shows that three out of the five positions in the SPCA are currently vacant with one position unfilled since 2017 and another since 2020 Dolphy DrsquoSouza of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative said ldquoThere is always a concern of citizen police trust The personnel at police stations should be trained in empathy to treat every complainant as a customer There is a certain reluctance among citizens particularly women to access the police for redressal of their grievances More monitoring by senior police officials is neededrdquoSPCA SpeakSPCA member Umakant Mitkar said ldquoThe SPCA had been set up by the government to suggest recommendations for grievances against police personnel Currently it is headed by HC Justice Shrihari Devare and I am one of its members I request the citizens to approach us when there is any kind of injusticerdquo ldquoWe take cognisance of all complaints such as death in judicial custody and extreme violence by the policerdquo he added2015Year SPCA was set up2017Year SPCA became fully functional