POLICE STATION IS BUSY: IT HAS NO TIME TO HELP THE CITIZENS!

POLICE STATION IS BUSY: IT HAS NO TIME TO HELP THE CITIZENS!

Recently, my mobile was stolen while I was boarding an RTC bus at Nallakunta. When I retraced my movements, I realized that a person holding a Telugu newspaper tried to mob around me and feigned to ask somebody something on the board of the bus when I was checking from the gate if there was room; he did not board the bus since I did not. I boarded the next bus when there was really a big crowd but I was not mindful of my pocket in which my mobile phone and a purse were put; the same person play-acted boarding and while doing so, he put his newspaper on my pocket and did his trick and stole, which I did not notice till half an hour later.

My colleague suggested that I should complain this theft to the police, giving IMEI number (a unique identity number of any mobile phone).

I did not feel like going to a police station because when I visited a police station the last time for a similar purpose, the cooperation I got from it was dismally lukewarm and discouraging. It happened to me in Mehdipatnam Police Station in Hyderabad in September 2008.

A boy from my home village, as part of his tantrums, left his parents without informing them where he was heading; a couple of calls made by him to his parents gave the clue that he was hiding in Hyderabad. I along with the boy’s relatives went to Mehdipatnam Police Station seeking their help in locating the boy by accessing the mobile phone user database each police station is provided with.

There are many personnel in the station. On our way to the reception desk, about three officials (not officers, just staff members, probably constables and clerks) asked why we had come. We explained with full details. Nobody appeared to be enthusiastic or willing to help. Nobody showed the body language that a police station would be of help. Everybody agreed that they had the database. A relatively elderly person wanted us to wait saying that the relevant clerk was busy with the work related to submission of returns. We waited in the police about two hours and kept reminding the elderly staff member if the relevant person was then free to help. A little later, one person announced that the computer was not working since an important chord was broken and so connectivity gone.

One of the sentry staff suggested that a constable belonging to our district is working in the same station and he would help us if we requested him; his mobile phone number was also given to us. We called him more than four times. He was telling that he would come and did not for a long time. After about two hours, he came, went inside the station and left saying he would come back and help us. He did not turn up at all.

We waited in the station for about three hours with no help forthcoming. To push the process, I asked one of the personnel if I could meet the Inspector to speak about our problem; he replied it would be of no use since the computer was broken and the clerk was busy in his work.

By their delay and behavior, we were firmly convinced that they would not help us and we had to understand this fact ourselves since they would never tell us straight. We returned home in despair.

Government is staffing Police Stations very generously: in as many numbers as required. It is giving facilities like computers and vehicles to the Police. But police personnel are busy and computers are not working. What use are these police stations? First of all, who is really bothering if the police stations are doing their jobs as they should? The answers to these questions represent the bad governance we in Andhra Pradesh are forced to live with.