Virginia Policy Review, Volume XIV Issue I

Virginia Policy Review 31 Community Policing in Madhya Pradesh, India: A Case Study of Philosophy and Practice

By Eli Smolen Introduction “The police have a paramount obligation and duty to function according to the requirements of the Constitution, law and the democratic aspirations of the people. The functioning of the police requires it to be professional and service oriented and free from extraneous influences and yet accountable to the people.”

– The Statement of Objects and Reasons, Madhya Pradesh Police Act of 2002 At present, the police force in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is primarily governed by the Police Act of 1861 (“Status...Reforms,” n.d). In order to address changes in governance and security, the state of Madhya Pradesh enacted a supplemental policing bill, the Madhya Pradesh Police Act of 2002 (“Status...Reforms,” n.d). The passage above is an excerpt from the Act’s introduction. Central to this introduction is accountability, the “aspirations of the people” (The...Vidheyak, 2002a). As the bill recognizes, the police’s function in a democratically oriented state is to serve and provide security services for the State. In Madhya Pradesh, the actualization of the aforementioned text has proven to be demanding. In essence, the legal jargon that stipulates the police are to be accountable and servants of the people necessitates a great deal of implementation and institutional considerations. In the paper to follow, I intend to explore the relevant frameworks and institutions that contribute to the security of Madhya Pradesh and evaluate their ability to ensure the successful actualization of the enumerated goals.

This paper will act as a case study in order to further reflect on community policing and the associated themes of security and public service deliverance. Current literature understands community policing to be a function of philosophy and practice (Ward, 2018). As such, this paper will first investigate the philosophy, or frameworks, then speak to the particular institutions, or policies, relevant to Madhya Pradesh.

Ultimately, this paper intends to reflect on internal frameworks and institutions as it relates to outcomes on the ground. Compared to the larger study of community policing, this piece will address internal functions more than the particulars of outward-facing community engagement. Many scholars have narrowly focused on police culture, stating that on the ground engagement mirrors the internal culture of the police force (Rahr &