Policing the Police

The Police Department has launched an inquiry into the conduct of the Headquarters Inspector (HQI) of the Bandarawela police station after TV news bulletins flashed footage of a woman suspected of abandoning her newborn infant on a train being questioned in the full glare of television cameras. However outrageous the woman’s alleged crime is, no one can endorse the behaviour of the senior police officer, who thought it fit to play judge, jury and executioner, forgetting that the task of the Police is to ensure that suspect gets a fair hearing and not one that makes for juicy news and reinforces the prejudices of society.

While the inquiry against the police officer concerned is a welcome move, it is important to talk of the unprofessional manner in which police personnel often conduct themselves while investigating crimes which prove to be highly prejudicial against suspects. Suspects are rarely informed of their rights and are treated as an accused as soon as they are picked up for questioning as was seen in the case of the woman in question. When every citizen should enjoy the constitutional guarantee of the presumption of innocence, those tasked with enforcing the law are among the first to disregard this fundamental right.

As we have often seen, the Police have made a habit of allowing cameras when they visit scenes of crime including into locations where, in the case of a homicide for example, even while the body of a victim has not been removed nor examined for evidence. Onlookers too are seen walking freely around crime scene locations which could easily lead to the loss of vital pieces of evidence which could prove crucial during an investigation. Cameras are routinely allowed when raids are carried out on spas, rest houses, etc. with the suspects arrested exposed to the full glare of the media, making them guilty before the eyes of society before any court can rule on their guilt or innocence. 

The Police Department says it has issued several circulars with guidelines to follow when women and children are questioned and regularly brief personnel manning stations during training programs on safeguarding the rights of suspects. But going by the unprofessional conduct of many police officers, it is difficult to think they adhere to any of these rules.

A large number of fundamental rights petitions are filed against the Police each year and many have to do with the manner in which they arrest, question and detain suspects but this has not deterred them from continuing to act outside the law.

All this also puts the spotlight on the conduct of the media in Sri Lanka, particularly television, which operates with little or no self-regulation and puts ratings over any other ethical considerations. It can be argued that the media caters to the public that takes delight in seeing the misfortune of another flashed across their TV screen. The outrageous case of Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen who was villainised out of his government job by the media frenzy driven by the Police misinformation, turned the spotlight on the media as well as the unprofessional conduct of the police.

What Dr. Shafi’s case and the recent case of the couple suspected of abandoning their child have in common is the role the Police have played in being willing partners in trials by the media forgetting their primary role of upholding the law. Wanting to bask in the spotlight even momentarily is an alluring proposition not only for police personnel but for many others but this must not come at the expense of humiliating and destroying the lives of those whose misfortune lands them in a police station. It’s well worth remembering that the role of the Police is to safeguard the rights of the country’s citizens and not play to the gallery. We have politicians for that.