POLICE REFORMS AND ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS

Abstract

As the most visible face of the state, the police has a crucial role in ensuring the rule of law and order and in preventing and detecting crimes within the framework of laws and constitutional values (Rao, 2021).With such extensive powers at its disposal ranging from an arrest, to search, seizure and to the use of force, the opportunity for the abuse of authority is not insignificant and there is the need for effective system of accountability to keep police action within the limit set by law and morals (Khan, 2024).In this vein, accountability requires the police to afford some level of respect, fairness, and equality to all and to be held to account for their actions, notably in cases of misconduct (Rad et al., 2022).The idea of police accountability is necessary to ensure that the public maintain trust and confidence on the police force and the criminal justice system at large (Debbaut and Kimpe, 2023).Human rights frameworks underscore accountability as a key value (Cliquennois et al., 2021).Police reform are required to geek and pros tote force force to s yystem problems and make effective and responsive the the these, the serves they serve (Mirvalievich, 2020).In this regard, police reforms are crucial in the handling of problems of corruption, police abuse and violations of human rights, which can have negative consequences on public trust(Hicken, 2024).The Indian police system which was inherited from the colonial past was planned for the control and not for service of the people (Mohammed and Mathias, 2020).Post-independence, there have been many commissions and committees set up to review the police system and suggest changes, the most famous of which are the National Police Commisssion (1977-81) and the Ribeiro Committee. But despite these findings, the roll-out has been patchy, with political will and oppositions in the police service to change retaining the status quo.