I had this wonderful opportunity to visit the ‘Maamiar veedu’ (colloquial term for ‘Police station’ in tamil). It was a wonderful learning experience that I thought could share here at Mouthshut. My sister stays in a different place away from my home and she has taken a PG accommodation. So she had to fill out a ‘police verification’ form, which seems to be a common procedure just like the passport verification. My mom was at home when this ‘public servant’ came to my house. She was not sure what the verification was, and as all innocent mothers she panicked. This gentleman left, asking some one else to visit the station. That is when I got to go to this place.
So with some experience behind, let me help you understand this place better …
It is a place of equals
Anybody who enters the police station is treated equally. Be it a rogue, some public like me or even a police officer himself!!! - Everyone is equal. I was lucky enough not to be showered with that special language, the language that is so polite and warm!! Most of those who enter the police station get that … get that equally without any discrimination.
I could get to hear all the filthy language around in the world in one place is a span of 15 minutes.
It’s a place that can make you feel proud
Have you ever felt proud that you are learned and educated? Go to this place, you will feel. The ‘writer’ is the person who types out these documents and dispatches them across. This person showed me the form, which clearly said ‘Tenant verification form’. This guy tells me that it is ‘passport verification’ and my sister already has a passport! How happy I was that I could read and write and comprehend something that a concerned authority himself is not able to!! This person does not know to read, what would he write?
He is wasting his career there. He can probably start writing at mouthshut, he might win a few contests and can get to go to few places like ‘goa’!!
It is a place where you need not be shy
My father did a mistake by committing to ‘pay’ this ‘Writer’. It was Rs. 100 that I had to give this rascal (should I give respect? What the heck, I cannot; and he is one among the equals too!) as an obedient son of my father. I put my hand in my back pocket and called him aside. He said, ‘edu edu onnum prechana illa’ (‘Just take it out, no issues). Looks like everyone is used to this, and means that not even a single policeman is ‘good’ in a group of about 10 policemen. Where is the country heading?
So the next time if you want to pay a police wala do not hesitate, just take out the money and throw it on his face.
Few serious issues …
I seriously feel this department is one area where we can look at improving, but we never do. All those who get into police are mostly school dropouts and half-rouges (who later become full rogues!!! But that is a different issue altogether … ). You just can’t find one decent/well-mannered policeman apart from those DGs and ACPs (i.e. those in higher posts)… have you ever seen one?
Low pay is one reason that makes them get this bribe and the worst thing is they are not even half ashamed of taking it.
Infrastructure is just so poor. The traffic police jeeps and bikes are mostly good, but the regular police transportation is the worst ever. Where do you get those blue jeeps manufactured? Are they existent at all these days, except in the police department? And the police stations, how poor they are; you will never feel like working there. I hardly see a plug point in the station that I visited, how would you think of getting a computer in there?
Make this better
The government can think of spending some money and making this department better. They can think of getting more youngsters in by giving good pay package (of course, not many would want to starve and server for the nation). This job too should have scope for ‘growth’. Bring in technology into this department; this can increase the need for more educated people in it. That way it can become more decent and can become somewhere near ‘Public service’ department.
But these cannot happen as strategic improvements. It has to be a sudden revamp. Something sort of revolution should happen. Don’t you think it could then reduce half the miseries of our country? Your thoughts please …
-Vinayak
(Btw please don’t be too strict on the category, considering MS takes aeons to add something through MouthPad. I agree it should be ‘Chennai police’ rather than ‘Chennai traffic police’)