The need for constant readiness of security, law enforcement agencies
In the lead-up to the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2022, thought leaders and experts share their views on the theme of this year’s event
English philosopher Thomas Hobbes in Leviathan (1651) argued that without government, life would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”. French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed, “Man is born free but everywhere is in chains”. Like Hobbes, Rousseau propounded the theory of a social contract in which man willingly gave up his rights in favour of the State. Hobbes and Rousseau paved the way for democracy as we know it today. However, the man who made the most profound impact on human life, especially on the working class, was 19thcentury German philosopher Karl Marx who, appalled at the growing economic inequality in society, explored how best to improve the lives of the poor.
In his classic work Communist Manifesto (1848), which he wrote in collaboration with Frederick Engels, he urged workers of the world to unite. As an offshoot, we are now witnessing industrial action by large segments of the working population, such as railway employees, teachers and health care workers. This will continue to haunt some countries for many more decades to come. We see this afflicting life in the United Kingdom (UK) and a few other European countries. Such labour unrest may not exactly be the direct outcome of the influence of Marxism, which is now fragmented across nations. Nevertheless, it still portrays a deplorable state of discontent and strife.
Today, the world reflects on what the three ideologues, detailed above, identified as evils in society. The Covid-19 pandemic and the prolonged conflict in Ukraine, and an economic crisis whose full severity will be known only in the coming months, are all symptomatic of what awaits us. The high expectations of a majority of the population across nations, especially in Asia and Africa, could lead to manifold criminal justice administration problems. The quality of policing that is already poor in many countries, is likely to dip further, leading to citizens taking the law into their own hands.
As a former law enforcement official, I am worried about the burgeoning disrespect for the law and the rise of different crimes. This is fuelled primarily by the widening economic inequality across the world, which could bring back conventional crimes such as murder, housebreaking and robbery. I disagree with the prognosis of some experts that cybercrime will displace traditional crimes. A mere increase in the volume of online transactions does not necessarily mean that there will be more cybercrime. The latter is easy to hide but difficult to commit because of the enhanced awareness of computer users to strengthen the security of their hardware.
What is more worrisome is the rising proclivity for terrorism across the world. It has frightening implications for peace in society. I am reminded of the seminal work of Samuel Huntington, whose theory of a clash of civilisations to describe the polarity between the Islamic and the non-Islamic worlds, has stood the test of time, if one goes by events in the United States, the UK, India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the past few decades. The horror of the 9/11 attacks in New York (2001) and the one in Mumbai (2008) were so big in dimension and savagery that we will never be able to forget them. The continent of Africa has also been a victim of such fundamentalism. Reports from different parts of the world do not point to any lessening of strife. Deep sectarian divisions continue to spawn terrorist incidents. No significant efforts at rapprochement have been made to reduce our fear that clashes between groups will continue to disturb peace in some countries. There is also the highhandedness of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the ruling families in West Asia that have the potential to disturb peace in the region.
The rest of the world watches all this helplessly and without attempting to bring down temperatures, lest any intervention infuriates the powerful ruling cliques. The ill-treatment of Rohingyas in Myanmar and Uyghurs Muslims in China and tensions in the Chechnya region of Russia may appear to be of only regional significance. But they have the potential to inflame feelings in Asia. The reality is that there is no concerted effort on the part of the international community to stem the fury of crass religious fundamentalism of different hues in the name of respect for sovereignty and religions. There is no hope, therefore, that the perceptions of those wielding power will alter sufficiently to inject sanity among regimes that survive on fanning religious bigotry.
Law enforcement agencies worldwide are overburdened with routine law and order tasks. They will be stretched in the years to come. Barring a few countries, police officers in many others are poorly organised and badly paid to infuse confidence in the average citizen that the former are equal to the challenge of stymying future terror attacks or State excesses.
Every country has its plate full and may hardly be expected to assist neighbours. Firefighting by individual countries may be the only recourse to douse flare-ups. In this setting, more than a mere state of preparedness on the part of security agencies may be required to offer hopes of peace in the world of the 2030s. What is required to reduce tensions is the enlightenment of those who wield authority.
A highly focused counterterrorism strategy is the need of the hour. The exercise requires deep skills that fuse technology with ground-level policing. Many Western nations, especially the US and UK, have achieved great success in the area. India has also tightened its efforts in this regard. We have had no major terror attack after 2008. There is, however, no room for complacency. The reliance of some state police forces almost wholly on New Delhi is a matter of concern.
It is desirable that every State has a sleek, well-trained and well-equipped commando force. There can be no compromise in this regard. Adequate assistance from the Centre in matters of training and equipment will always be available. But it is for each state to keep its specialised force in readiness to react to an emergency, regardless of political and administrative difficulties. Such a vision and constant readiness will help create a safer and more robust future for the country.