Police Commissioner V Balakrishnan’s first book, Travel Tales of a Cop, was launched at the Coimbatore Book Festival, which is a comparison of policing systems in the UK and India.
Police Commissioner V Balakrishnan’s first book tales of a soldier’s journey Comparison of Policing Systems in UK and India Launched at Coimbatore Book Festival
“Consent policing in the UK, policing by enforcement in India are two different aspects,” says city police commissioner V Balakrishnan IPS. his first book tales of a soldier’s journey (Zero Degree Publishing) compares the policing between UK and India Starting from the historical background (modern policing in India was introduced by the British) to the present scenario.
The book took shape during his stay in the UK as a Chevening Scholar to complete his Masters in Human Rights. “I noticed the police and cultural aspects which are very different from India as well. I found it attractive. I started writing this book in September 2018 and it took me two years to finish it.”
Talking about the chapter highlighting the rights of victims and perpetrators, he says that the system in India is often victim-oriented and gives the example of theft at the home of a senior citizen. “In an act of self-defence, the criminal was stabbed to death. He was a habitual offender, and had earned money through his criminal activities. But when he died, the family built a temple in front of the senior citizen’s house and the elder couple vacated their house in fear. This highlights the lacuna in the enforcement system.”
The author also touches on general administration and economic models which may be reiterated here. To drive home the need for stronger watchdogs for public services, he cited the example of how an independent monitoring agency penalized Thames Water that in 2019 for its failure to keep leaks under a specific percentage of London homes’ water supply. does. “The supplier was asked to pay heavy compensation to the customers in the form of monthly deduction in water charges for the next six years. I have mentioned this in the context of road accidents in India. In one of the rarest cases, Madurai High Court For failure in road maintenance as the cause of the accident fixed the responsibility on the highway authorities. Fine was imposed and NHAI was directed to pay compensation. Accidents happen due to bad road condition, but there is no accountability on the contractor etc.
Invisible Policing and more
While the book is broadly a comparison of the governance and cultural traits of the two countries, he also talks about invisible policing, a concept adopted in the UK. “You cannot see the police on the street unless it is an accident or a crime scene. This is not the case in India.”
One of the chapters highlights the ‘right to protest’ with a mention of the famous episode on the eve of Donald Trump’s visit as the state guest of Britain in 2018. Demonstrators blow up a giant balloon with a blimp of ‘Baby Trump’ on Parliament Square, London. “The level of tolerance and the right to protest are respected. Political leaders take holidays and respect their family time. It is often criticized in India. When British Prime Minister Theresa May was holidaying in Europe, a big incident came into the limelight. A drunken driver rammed his car into the Parliament wall. Initially, it was treated as a terrorist act. Theresa May released the statement while on leave. This is unimaginable in India. I have emphasized the importance of establishing strong systems and institutions. Once the system is in power, it doesn’t matter who is running it. ,
A fiction set in Adhbali
After writing short stories and career-related articles in magazines, Shweta Subbaiah Balakrishnan became a writer with her first book Promises (Estilo Books) which was launched in Coimbatore Book Festival,
Shweta Subbaiah Balakrishnan | photo credit: special arrangement
“A grandmother on the deathbed shares a secret that brings her granddaughter from America to the fictional land of Adbal and an emotional and dramatic story unfolds,” the author said of her book, which she began writing in 2013. did. Make changes to make it relevant to the current scenario. When my husband (police commissioner V Balakrishnan IPS) started working on his book, I was inspired and completed it. She takes inspiration from her grandfather Alankamani who has translated literary classics from other languages into Tamil.