By Our Reporter
Shillong: The gap in the police-public relation is attributed to perception that people have towards the police and the system, said Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Vivek Syiem.
Admitting this fact, Syiem said many people have an inherent fear of the police. This leads to mutual distrust and disconnect in the relationship between the law enforcement agencies and the community.
Addressing a one-day panel discussion on Police-Public relations organized by the social work department of St Edmund’s College here on Thursday, Syiem said “We are not perceived as part of the society and we are in the public eye all the time. If we make one mistake we are castigated and the policing system is blamed.” Syiem said the public perception about the police should change and for this the police too are adopting a paradigm shift in their mode of functioning. “We are bringing about a systems approach to correct the system rather than address only issues arising out of a faulty system,” the Additional SP said adding that every police station in the state has a citizens’ committee which should meet up to discuss matters on community policing. .
Pointing out that the police no longer carry the colonial mindset Syiem said the police today are by and large responsive and sensitive despite working under several constraints of manpower and other resources.
The additional SP also stressed on the need to understand the rule of law stating that “People should understand what is a compoundable and a non-compoundable offence. A crime