Police officials from the rank of lowly constables to seniors like police inspectors and deputy superintendents were summarily transferred to far flung "punishment" postings by a directive of the government, probably the state Home Ministry as a knee-jerk reaction to the Monserrate episode.
This will mean that adverse remarks will be placed on their confidential files and their chances of promotion (in the case of IPS officers even outside of Goa) will be hampered. In fact years down the road when they come to be in the running for IGs and DGs, they will lose to officers who do not have a remark on their file even if the latter are far less competent. This is a complete cop-out to "public" and political pressure. Police transfers must never be done except for disciplinary or administrative reasons. If I were Goa's DG, I would have resisted the pressure from political masters and taken the risk of transfer myself. That would have demonstrated that I stand up for my men when they were not just doing their duty but also defending their very selves. The sight of policemen running from attacking mobs does not instill confidence of the law in the minds of the general populace. As DG, having reached the top of the service ladder, I would stand to lose nothing by such politically inspired remarks on my file and everything to gain by being seen as a leader of my force and by gaining public confidence in the force of law. If I were to transfer errant subordinates, I would have transferred them for lack of professionalism. Running into a mob without riot gear and crowd control weapons. For not immediately calling upon an armed Emergency Task Force squad. For not following the police manual on crowd response that however much planned in advance, takes time to develop into violence. Precious time that a trained professional uses to get adequate back up instead of guessing (and hoping) that the matter will cool. The Goa Police are notoriously under trained. Any one in the know of facilities at the Police Training College at Valpoi would wonder how police graduate to the field at all. Basic training is less than basic and arms are of another age. No modern anti-crowd formation techniques are shown nor are negotiating skills to prevent untoward incidents from escalating. Even their parade ground exercises are meant only to go through the motions. This is not the ordinary policeman's fault. It is just lack of professionalism from above. Goa Police like their counterparts elsewhere are too accustomed to resorting to third degree at the first resort. No sophisticated interrogation techniques prevail and intelligence gathering is confined to small time criminals who are insufficiently paid. In fact, for a few bucks more they will gladly provide information fed to them by the opposite side. The only good thing that has come out of this episode is that Monserrate's wings have been clipped. However my regret is that if action was taken in smaller doses and much earlier, when he was merely in the process of building his goonda power, innocents on both sides would not have suffered severe consequences. Every upright top official's recommendation that supervision of the police be taken away from the Home Ministry and given to a civilian board or agency comprised of well known men of integrity from all walks of life, like that in advanced countries, goes unheeded. Given widespread political interference with the force on all sensitive issues and many trivial ones as well, and also given the general spinelessness of today's IPS grade to resist such pressure, unprofessionalism will no doubt continue and baby Monserrates will continue to become immature, violent men. -- Roland Francis 416-453-3371