Essay on "What Attitudes/Values I would exhibit as a Police Leader"

On the 16th of December, 2018 when I entered the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

National Police Academy for the first time, one quote written on a solid piece of

rock caught my attention -

“There is a fine officer in each one of you, help us

chisel it out”

In this process of chiselling out, it would not be an exaggeration to

say that instilling the Right Attitudes in the IPS Probationers, who are future

Police Leaders, is the most important one. While there are a plethora of desirable

attitudes which are needed in a Police Leader, in this essay, I will talk about the

“NAVARATNAS” or the nine Attitudinal values which I commit to uphold during

the next 36 years of service.

The first of the Navaratnas is ‘Empathy and Compassion’ . While Empathy is a

person’s ability to perceive the suffering of others by imagining oneself in their

situation, Compassion is an empathetic attitude coupled with genuine efforts to

alleviate the suffering of others. With Empathy, I can feel and understand the

pain of more than 30,000 women who are being raped every year, more than 2

lakh women who are being trafficked every year and the innumerable Dalits and

Tribals who are facing humiliation. With Compassion, I can sincerely work for

their well being and go beyond the call of duty to attend to them irrespective of

the challenges I face in doing this. And while I do this I will always remember

what Gandhiji had once said,

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in

the service of others”

The second of the Navaratnas is ‘ Selflessness ’ which means we must always

put our duty above oneself and work with Nishkamakarma . A Policing Career

might put me in various tough situations where I must show them. For instance,

in the next few months when we go to our District Practical Training we will be at

the forefront of fighting the Corona Crisis. This might put us at a high risk of

contracting CoronaVirus as seen in the deaths of more than a dozen policemen

recently. Despite that I will keep Selflessness in my mind and work with my full

efforts to protect the people.

The third of the Navaratnas is ‘ Courage ’. The importance of Courage can be

seen from the words of a great man who once remarked,

“Courage is the most important virtue as without courage we cannot practice any other virtues consistently”

For example, if I am not courageous, I might show a blind eye

towards my superiors who are corrupt fearing consequences and I might not

stand up to a Politician who may ask me to release his henchman from prison

fearing backlash from the ruling party and the government. However if I display

Courage I will report the seniors and ensure that corruption is weeded out and I

will reject all illegal requests and uphold the ‘ office of trust ’.

The fourth of the Navaratnas is ‘Integrity’ . Integrity is the inner sense of

completeness arising from consistent moral uprightness in one’s character. If I

uphold Integrity, as the Superintendent of Police I can address the problems in

Policing like Non Registration of FIRs, Faulty Investigations, and Coercive

corruption which have maligned the image of the police in the public. Further I

can lead by example and motivate the ground level constabulary to be righteous

thereby eradicating corruption. When we have Policemen with such Integrity, we

can achieve what Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam once said,

“When there is righteousness in the heart there is beauty in the character, there is harmony in home, order in the nation and peace in the world ”.

The fifth of the Navaratnas is ‘ Humility ’. A recent survey on Policing asked the

public the reasons for receding trust in Police among the public. Most of them

replied that arrogance and insensitivity towards their problems are the most

important concerns. These problems must be addressed by being humble,

patient and respecting all the people irrespective of their socio-economic status. I

shall instil the People First, “ Manava seve Madhava Seva ” attitude among all the

police personnel in my district. This can endear the people to the police and they

can look at them as their “Annas, Akkas and Friends” who are always there with

a smile when they need them.

The sixth of the Navaratnas is ‘ Impartiality ’. Without this we cannot alleviate the

problems of the economically and socially weaker sections who are often the

victims of fake cases, biased investigations and unwanted arrests. Thus by being

impartial and displaying “Raj Dharma” as called for Chanakya we can create the

feeling among the public that when they go to the Police Station they will

definitely get Justice. Further such Impartiality will also ensure that I deal with

Mob Lynchings, Caste Riots and Communal riots without any biases, prejudices.

The seventh of the Navaratnas is ‘ Perseverance ’. Perseverance is the ability to

withstand failures and stay strong, determined to achieve what we desire. Many

of the social problems today like Child Labour, Trafficking, and Sexual

Harassment need strong consistent efforts from the Police Leaders and they

need attitudinal changes among the people. When we are fighting such deep

rooted problems we are bound to face many hurdles. Nevertheless by being

perseverant I can stay focused and motivated despite the hardships.

The eighth of the Navaratnas is ‘ Being a Good Leader ’. I will always strive to be

a good leader who my colleagues, subordinates and people would always look

up to. A good leader in my opinion will always be accessible, be open to new

ideas, accept genuine criticism, stand by his men and will motivate his men to do

the given task effectively and efficiently. Such good leaders like Julio Rebeiro Sir,

Prakash Singh Sir will be my continuous source of inspiration.

And last of the Navratnas, which is ‘ Being an Avid Learner ’ is yet another attitude

which I would like to display as a police leader. Today, the world is entering into

the Fourth Industrial Revolution led by Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics.

Crime patterns are shifting towards Cyber Warfare, Cyber Terrorism and Internet

led Fake, Malicious Propaganda. To tackle such impending threats we always

need to be avid learners and we must be ready to skill and re-skill ourselves.

If I follow these Navaratnas namely - Empathy and Compassion, Selflessness,

Courage, Integrity, Humility, Impartiality, Perseverance, Good Leader and Avid

Learner diligently, I will not only earn the respect and trust of the public but also

definitely be remembered after my retirement. To ensure that I abide by the

Navaratnas and turn my words into action all through my IPS Career, I must

continue to be motivated and determined. For this I shall draw my inspiration

from the thousands of Police Martyrs like Umesh Chandra Sir who made the

ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the nation. I shall also remember Gandhiji’s words in this regard, 

"Strength doesn't come from Physical Capacity. It comes from Indomitable Will "

I am confident that with this Will Power I can become a Good Police Leader and make my parents, teachers and the SVPNPA family proud.