Delhi Police's Infighting Over License Authority Is Mindless; It must focus on improving its Law and Order Understanding

Recently, the Delhi Government clipped Delhi Police of its licensing powers, triggering infighting within the Delhi Police Headquarters, where many in the ranks have argued about the connection between licensing powers and law and order. However, there is a glaring error in the understanding of law and order among a few senior ranks. Licensing primarily covers administrative, quality, and safety checks, which are adequately addressed by the concerned departments. The Delhi Police's licensing job had only minimal oversight, which can be effectively addressed through improved interdepartmental coordination among concerned departments.  Even if there is a genuine security concern, the Delhi Police is capable of carrying out high-grade, localised intelligence and offensive operations.  

Equating Licensing with Law and order reveals the Delhi Police's narrow understanding of what actual law and order entails. The compass of law and order extends beyond its fundamental knowledge of suppressing crime and rule-based behaviour. Law and order also encompass professionalism in policing, as law and order must be maintained in peacetime as well. Police cannot be in a state of war mode every time, as it will impact the Police-Public relationship. To execute law and order duties in peacetime, the Delhi Police must demonstrate high standards of professional policing.

However, the Delhi Police has a sad state of affairs in professionally executing law and order duties. The reason is simple: from a few Special CPs to DCPs, law and order means enforcement of the law, but it ignores the trust-building factor with the community that only comes when the Police adopt a professional approach to law and order duties during peacetime, like investigation, detecting white collar and serious crimes and criminals, especially those crimes which are specific and does not cause alarm or substantial impact on society like those riots, societal tensions and mob activities.

A top source in Delhi Police said "Interestingly, a former Delhi Police Commissioner has expressed second thoughts over this decision and emphasised law and order, but ironically, he failed at law and order duties in his tenure, and his statement reflects a poor understanding of law and order." 

The track record of the Delhi Police's professionalism in law and order duties is alarming, as recent Annual Reports of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) Have documented numerous complaints against the Delhi Police, including custodial violence, refusal to file FIRs, and biased conduct. The report recorded 1,200 complaints, with 15% related to unprofessional behavior, such as rudeness or inaction.  Similarly a report on status of policing at national level revealed that around 40 percent of Delhi Police official dont follow arrest guidelines  reiterated by Supreme Court time to time.

One top source in power corridors said that the Licensing card became the Delhi Police's corruption machine. This year, the Delhi Police Vigilance unit received hundreds of complaints of bribes and threats from restaurant owners and several business houses. Top sources in MHA have laughed off on infighting over licensing issue, but at the same time, they said, " Delhi Police must now focus on its gaps and improve its law and order thinking and strategies." One source added that the Delhi Police should feel relieved from this burdened responsibility.  Despite the Prime Minister's call to depart from the thought of Danda policing, some UT cadre IPS officers are desperate to devise new methods of Danda policing.