Mates of Police: a group policing initiative that was shut down in Tamil Nadu after the 2020 Sathankulam custodial deaths

It was in 1993 that the then Superintendent of Police, Ramanathapuram, Pradeep V. Philip launched the ‘Mates of Police’ (FOP) initiative with a small group of volunteers. The transfer was to bridge the hole between the police and public by permitting native youth to take part in fundamental policing. The FOP volunteers readily agreed to work with and for the police in guarding the shores of Ramanathapuram district. Thus got here into existence an modern group policing mechanism – ‘Mates of Police’.

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A 12 months later, the then Director Common of Police (DGP) S. Sripal counseled the work of ‘Mates of Police’ and really helpful introduction of the voluntary motion in different districts. It was solely a matter of time after that. FOP groups have been fashioned in cities and districts. Hundreds of youth volunteered to affix the motion over time and the ‘Mates of Police’ initiative that all the time functioned below the direct supervision of the police, emerged as a vital part of night time patrolling and automobile checks throughout Tamil Nadu.

Commissioners/Superintendents of Police have been empowered to induct volunteers looking for to work as FOP. After a fundamental verification of their antecedents, they have been imparted fundamental coaching on coping with the general public. Being a voluntary service, there was no remuneration and any perks.

Intelligence gathering

For the Tamil Nadu police, the ‘Mates of Police’ was not solely seen as extra manpower however a technique to boost the picture of the police pressure, open up channels of communication and supply a reservoir of goodwill. The volunteers later went on to work with the police for visitors regulation, crowd administration duties at temple festivals and most significantly, they performed an important position in gathering intelligence on the grassroots degree on the motion of strangers, particularly international nationals, smugglers and extremists, and alert the police on any grouping of individuals in pursuance of any illegal exercise of their respective jurisdictions.

Explaining the fundamental targets of ‘Mates of Police’, Mr. Philip wrote in an article that the police, everywhere in the world, have been remoted from pals and foes alike. The police pressure in each nation suffers from an issue of not only a ‘no picture’ or ‘low picture’ however extremely ‘detrimental picture’.

The final impression was that the police was a blunt instrument to behave based on the whims and fancies of the powers-that-be. Complaints of torture and custodial violence had additional accentuated the detrimental picture. An environment of lack of belief, respect and confidence between the general public and police prevailed. “The irony is that though the police exist for the sake of the general public, they work in a vacuum of a scarcity of goodwill, lack of expertise and suggestions and a normal lack of cooperation,” he wrote within the article printed in The Hindu.

Referring to the Rodney King incident of police brutality and public relations within the U.S., he mentioned the phenomenon of ‘police isolation’ and ‘public antagonism’ was world. Therefore, there was an pressing want for aggressive social advertising of the police. The essence of the ‘Mates of Police’ motion was to foster and crystallise the hitherto untapped sentiments of goodwill for the police that existed among the many public. “The FOP motion will finish the social isolation imposed on the police, individually and as an organisation….”

The voluntary work of the ‘Mates of Police’ lasted over 25 years. Although there have been some complaints of high-handedness or petty incidents of violence involving members of the FOP, it was too trivial to query the aim and existence of the organisation contemplating its bigger service to the group. In 2002, the ‘Mates of Police’ received the celebrated Queen’s Award from the U.Okay. for Innovation in Police Coaching and Improvement. The 15,000 GBP reward was used for the event of FOP.

Curtains in 2020

Nonetheless, on July 8, 2020, the Tamil Nadu Authorities issued an order revoking the ‘Mates of Police’ motion on the premise of an adversarial report from the then DGP J.Okay. Tripathy.

The position of volunteers was alleged within the custodial torture and subsequent deaths of 58-year-old dealer P. Jayaraj and his 31-year-old son J. Benicks at Sattankulam police station in Thoothukudi district throughout lockdown owing to COVID-19 pandemic. The FOP, nonetheless, denied the allegations saying that none of its members was concerned within the incident.