In the last few years, there have been growing clashes between young people and the police in the city, more so during the night outside popular restaurants. These are eating joints that remain open late into the night, to cater to the young and upwardly mobile party goers.

We read reports of young people being refused entry into a restaurant and then coming back with a group of their friends and getting into a fight with the waiters in the restaurant. We also read of policemen getting into a pub and roughing up some customers, because they were apparently sitting beyond closing time.

The 11 0'clock deadline has imposed a curfew on today's youth for whom, the night is still young. So most of them hangout outside Imperial on Residency road, Empire on Church Street and in Koramangala where they go after all the pubs have closed to eat a late night supper. Often there is a veritable traffic jam on these streets even at 2 am at night.

Sometimes there is some foolhardy young guy showing off his power bike and revving it up unnecessarily or some guy in an expensive car, who has parked any which way, and blocked traffic for hours afterwards.

Although most of these young people are law abiding citizens and only boisterous and have had a drink too many, for the cop on duty, it's a riot waiting to happen. It's not uncommon to see the harassed policemen on night patrol, getting a little itchy with their batons in their efforts to clear the crowd. And soon there is a bitter vocal and physical altercation between the public and police.

In such situations nobody is to blame, for the policemen on night duty are trying their best to do their job and keep the peace in the city, while the young people feel that they were only having some innocent fun.

We are in a global, multicultural city, where BPOs and call centres work through the night and it's not unusual to see people outside on the streets at late night. And they may not even be partying, but may have only stepped out from their offices to have a bite to eat. Bangalore has long ago changed from a sleepy city to one that never goes to sleep.

And we need a police equipped to handle the changing cultural milieu in the city. They need to undergo cultural and behaviourial training to cope with the young people of today with an attitude.

Just as the young need to understand that the policemen earn a quarter of the income they do, work long hours and probably resent the ease with which they flout their IT wealth.

All that it requires is a little give and take which will go a long way in bridging the growing divide between Bangalore's young and its police.