Corrective policing

‘We are peaceful villagers now,’ say ex-criminals. Surprising, but . . . Meet the police men who help people.
(The Sun, New Delhi, 2 August 1980)

There is Chandra Dutt, Anand Singh, Kartar Chand, Hardwari and the list goes on. Such simple and decent names. And yet these people were once dreaded criminals in the villages around Delhi.      They not only used to commit crimes in their own areas but also shattered the peace of city life. Goondaism, pick pocketing, dacoity and murder were rampant.      ‘This had to be stopped,’ says K.K. Chhabra Assistant Commissioner of Police, West District. ‘A system had to be evolved and the beat system was the best.’ Today all the villages of West District have beat constables who spend about eight hours on their beats. Each beat covers about 8 to 9 villages. The beat constables visit the criminals houses and ask their neighbors if the miscreants have changed their ways. Under this system there is a new air of cooperation between policemen and ordinary citizens. The beat constables have their names on their fingertips. Maha Singh informs them that ‘Anand Singh has become a Balmiki. He works hard in his fields and has started living a decent life.’  Wife beating ends     ‘Crime is almost finished in Isapur,’ says Chandra Singh, who is a clerk in the Delhi Military Hospital. The village was notorious for its criminal activities. Chandra Singh continues, ‘Since illicit liquor was sold openly, every second man got drunk, beat his wife and created hell in the neighborhood. Others stole parts of irrigation machines, destroyed crops, fought with lathis and even murdered. But all this has stopped now. We are a peaceful village.’      There is Jugti who himself narrates his story, ‘I used to go to Rajasthan and bring 20 bottles of ‘tharra’. Each bottle cost me Rs 2 and I used to sell it for Rs 10, solid Rs 8 profit,’ he adds with a smile. ‘But now I am only a farmer,’ he says holding both his ears. ‘Madam called me to the thana. I told her don’t put me behind the bars, tomorrow is my daughter’s wedding. I must attend it. I swear by her, I’ll never sell liquor again. I’ll live an honest man’s life.’      There are many others who have been reformed by the beat system.

‘The entire credit goes to my ACP, K.K. Chhabra,’ says ‘Madam’ (Kiran Bedi, Deputy Commissioner of Police, West District). ‘He gave me this idea. He said we must have a system to control crime and he suggested that he had been successful earlier with this system and that I should permit him to implement it in West District too.     My ACP was confident, enthusiastic and had a practical system to control crime. I gave him the green signal and he has mobilized the beat system in the entire West District.’ Brainwashing        Today the SHOs of all the seven police stations in West District take care of the beats. The beat constables provide their respective officers with intelligence reports, and then they work together to arrest criminals and brainwash them to lead better lives.     ACP K.K. Chhabra says, ‘I had served during, the British period.  With 33 years service experience I feel this is the best system to check crime.’  K.K. Chhabra has tried this beat system wherever he’s been posted in Delhi-Narela, Rai, Sadar Bazar, and now in West District. He says he has been successful everywhere.      This feeling is shared by the villagers of Rapta, Durala, Gorrianda, Juljuli, Milkpur, Dhansa, Kadipur, Jatikra, Bakargarh and others.             Considering that the policeman today is known only for barbaric actions and involvement in torture and rape, the beat system seems to have helped reveal another side to him — a helpful and socially useful aspect.’