What ails our police force? Rather than being the guardians of law and order, they seem to be abdicating all responsibility for which the force was created, and for which they are employed. That the traffic police are idle bystanders, watching the chaos on the roads, is well known. (Except, of course, when they spring to action and ‘fine’ people for minor infringements, without a receipt). Now it appears the regular police have joined the band wagon. Today’s Hindu has an article on how petitioners are descending on the Commissioner’s office with their complaints because the local police stations refuse to register them. From about fifty petitioners a day, the number has swelled to eighty five to a hundred per day! What gives? Many of the petitioners apparently wanted to register domestic disputes, and I suspect that the police are not trained to deal with such with any sensitivity. But they should be, given that its very much part of keeping the law and order in any society. Second, I suspect it’s an attitude of doing the minimum and getting by. At this rate, as the city’s population swells, there will be anarchy not just on the streets, but every where! Oh, for a strong leader and reformer for the force who would revitalize it, and tell the politicians, who have emasculated the force (once again on the helmet issue!), where to get off. An effective police force, after all, is a must for socio-economic growth and well-being.