Police accountability in Punjab a study

Abstract

In a democratic framework, police must be held accountable for their functioning. The current research has focused on internal and external police accountability measures. The study, particularly has tried to analyze setting-up and functioning of Police Complaints Authorities as one of the key tools for police accountability. Both primary and secondary data were used with interview schedules administered to 350 respondents from police and public. The locale of the study was Punjab with focus on Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana Rural Districts as well as Police Commissionerate systems. The results showed that to an extent, both the internal and external accountability mechanisms are holding police accountable in Punjab; though study has also revealed several challenges impeding effective accountability. It is suggested that insulating police from political pressure, timely actions against erring officials, transparent functioning, building trust with the public, and augmenting the effectiveness of Police Complaints Authorities would strengthen Police Accountability in Punjab. newline