Adverse conditions have made common man lose trust in his own guardian, says PIL seeking Police Reforms; Bombay High Court issues notice

The Bombay High Court has issued notice in a PIL filed for the implementation of various police reforms, as per the recommendations in reports by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, Government of India (BPR&D)..The petitioners call for increasing the strength of police forces and standardising working hours. .In this regard, the petitioner points out that the BPR&D had also mentioned a national requirement of manpower for an 8 hour-shift pattern in police stations, so as to curb occupational stress and promote the mental health of police personnel, urban policing, etc..It is added that establishing State Police Commission for redressing the grievances of police personnel as well as complaints against them is necessary, as recommended by the BPR&D as well..Another prayer made is for the provision of better technological assistance to the police, which would not only aim to reduce the workload, but would also boost the efficiency of such personnel..Inter alia, the PIL has pointed out that there have been no new work-norms over the decades. Rather, a dictum that "every police officer shall be considered to be always on duty” introduced under the Police Act, 1861 still continues to govern the working hour regime of police personnel in the country. This, despite the fact that the gamut of police work and responsibilities having grown in geometric proportions, the petitioner argues..In this backdrop, the petitioner submits that the police job has been rendered onerous, arduous and stressful. Further that, .“Such tedious working hours and adverse working/service conditions of the police personnel has not only resulted into an inefficient and unproductive police force, but the common man has lost the trust and hopes against its own guardians.”PIL petitioner.The petition has relied on several reports to urge for reforms, including the BPR&D's Study on manpower assessment of Rural police Station (March, 2013), the Padmanabhaiah Committee report( 2000) and the Malimath Committee report (2002)..The petitioner goes on to point out that as per the BPR&D's Manpower assessment of Rural Police Station 2013, there are almost 20 unaccounted duties which are performed by the police personnel on a regular basis, consuming most amount of their time..Further, the petitioners have also submitted a case study based on RTI information, regarding the strength of the police force in Kopargaon City Police Station, Kopargaon, Dist- Ahmednagar and Kopargaon Rural Police Station, Dist- Ahmednagar..Additionally, the petition also has data showcasing legal provisions for working hours that are followed globally..The PIL also points out that guidelines issued by the Supreme Court for Police reforms have still not been implemented. On a related note, this aspect had recently also cropped up before the Supreme Court last month, in the wake of the North-East Delhi Riots. .Guidelines of Supreme Court on Police reforms not implemented for over 13 years: Prashant Bhushan seeks urgent listing of plea