Cops live a nightmare policing streets

 Increasing incidents of policemen on night patrol being beaten up by miscreants has left the police top brass worried.

The number of cops remaining constant for a growing City has compounded the concerns. In some instances, policemen are portrayed in bad light on social networking sites.

A couple of days ago, a group of educated youngsters beat up a policeman. The girls in the group were the first to attack the cop. In another incident, a traffic policeman was beaten up for booking a case for drunken driving.

Recently, a police constable who was on his night rounds was attacked by two men just for asking them to go home as it is not safe to be on the roads at night.

“Despite trying to safeguard the public, we get abused and sometimes, physically assaulted,” said a head constable.

Posh areas are considered risky for the night beat policemen. A sub-inspector (SI) said, “Police are at risk in high-profile areas, as people coming here have a rich background. They have a feeling that they can get away with anything using money power.”

He said, “When we find shops kept open beyond the deadline, we ask them to shut shop. The shop owners oblige us. But the customers create trouble and blame the police. In a recent incident, an eatery was open even after the deadline and our constables asked the employee to close the shop. But the customers started creating a ruckus, saying the cops were drunk and were raiding the shop. They posted the matter on Facebook. They did not verify with top officials. They could have lodged a complaint with the higher authorities. If the policemen were found guilty, they would have been punished,” the SI said. 

Facebook has helped solve many cases. At the same time, many are misusing it, said a top police official.

Additional commissioner of police (law and order) Kamal Panth, said, “Fear of law is disappearing. The whole system needs to be changed. A person hitting the cop at night is out on bail the next evening. This makes it easier for people to get away with anything. Strict action should be taken for assaulting cops.”

He said just two constables patrol a locality in the night and can be beaten up by anyone. The population in the City is increasing. But, the strength of the police force has remained the same in the past decade.