Higher pay and issues of morality
Monday, 24 September 2007
Shamsul Huq Zahid
The government, reportedly, has decided to enhance the basic pay of the traffic police by 30 per cent and make available funds to police stations for conducting investigation into cases instituted with them.
The decision would fulfill the long-felt demands of the police officials working at the field level, partially. Yet it is a good beginning.
Notwithstanding their failure to live up to the expectations of the people, the police force has been trying to maintain peace and social order in the country. But compared to the nature of their duty, their monthly pay and allowances have been inadequate. The food items that are distributed among them at highly subsidised prices do partly compensate for the inadequacy. But the fact remains that most police personnel have a strong feeling that they are underpaid compared to the services they render to the people. Such a feeling is nothing exceptional. For most people serving in government and private establishments do always have the same feeling.
The government has decided to enhance the basic pay of traffic police personnel, not others in the force. Resource constraint might have forced the government to benefit the most deserving ones first. Stories are galore about bribe-taking by traffic constables and sergeants. Police personnel serving at other places and a large section of government servants do very often indulge in the same vice. But bribe-taking by traffic police has been a common issue of discussion because they until recently indulged in the mischief without caring whether someone watching them or not.
None would disagree with the observation that the very nature of the job of a sergeant or a traffic constable is tedious and monotonous. But it is also true that most traffic police personnel are not adequately attentive to their duties and responsibilities. The taxpayers who sustain the entire government machinery are not happy with the performance of the police, including those performing their duties in the traffic department. The low-level of performance is partly attributed to lack of motivation and partly to non-availability of necessary physical and other facilities.
There has been a strong debate whether or not the higher compensation package would be helpful in making the members of the police force more attentive to their duties and less prone to bribe-taking. Some people tend to believe that even better pay and other facilities would not be able to discourage the policemen from taking of bribes. Some others, however, have been rather sympathetic to the cause of the police. They argue that better pay and other facilities would surely motivate the police personnel to be honest to their duties and responsibilities. Yet they cannot be that sure about the level of urge for taking bribes among the police even after receiving better wages and facilities.
However, it has been observed that officials, particularly those in the private sector, receiving better wages and other fringe benefits are less prone to financial irregularities. The gross mismatch in salary structures of private and public sectors has been a great disincentive in this case. Some people do often complain that young talented university graduates these days are not competing for government jobs which once used to draw the most brilliant university graduates. There is nothing to complain about because arithmetic is playing its part here. The jobs that pay better, offer scopes for innovation and meet new challenges should be the most sought-after ones. And the private sector establishments are offering those and the bright young graduates are trying to grab the same.
The government's decision to raise the basic pay of the police employed in controlling traffic would create an opportunity to observe whether the hike has any impact on the performance level of the traffic police and their propensity to taking bribes. If the incentive is found effective, the government might go for expanding the facility to other wings of the police force. But the question is: How will the government monitor the impact?
Getting the feedback from the people, particularly the users and drivers of motor vehicles and transport owners will be one of the effective ways of knowing the impact. Besides, the government might consider formation of a non-police intelligence wing under the home ministry having the responsibility of tracking down the financial crimes within the police force. In this case, however, the officials of the cell should be paid handsome salary and benefits. Otherwise, the plan might backfire.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is an example what higher than normal pay and strict in-force monitoring and supervision can deliver. Except for a few cases, the RAB personnel drawn from the armed forces, BDR and police until now have proved their devotion to duty and honesty. The system of punishing the RAB personnel found guilty of any irregularity has proved to be the most effective way of keeping the standard of this elite force at high level. The police administration while offering better pay and other facilities to their men must find similar means of punishing the delinquent police personnel.
The government, reportedly, has decided to enhance the basic pay of the traffic police by 30 per cent and make available funds to police stations for conducting investigation into cases instituted with them.
The decision would fulfill the long-felt demands of the police officials working at the field level, partially. Yet it is a good beginning.
Notwithstanding their failure to live up to the expectations of the people, the police force has been trying to maintain peace and social order in the country. But compared to the nature of their duty, their monthly pay and allowances have been inadequate. The food items that are distributed among them at highly subsidised prices do partly compensate for the inadequacy. But the fact remains that most police personnel have a strong feeling that they are underpaid compared to the services they render to the people. Such a feeling is nothing exceptional. For most people serving in government and private establishments do always have the same feeling.
The government has decided to enhance the basic pay of traffic police personnel, not others in the force. Resource constraint might have forced the government to benefit the most deserving ones first. Stories are galore about bribe-taking by traffic constables and sergeants. Police personnel serving at other places and a large section of government servants do very often indulge in the same vice. But bribe-taking by traffic police has been a common issue of discussion because they until recently indulged in the mischief without caring whether someone watching them or not.
None would disagree with the observation that the very nature of the job of a sergeant or a traffic constable is tedious and monotonous. But it is also true that most traffic police personnel are not adequately attentive to their duties and responsibilities. The taxpayers who sustain the entire government machinery are not happy with the performance of the police, including those performing their duties in the traffic department. The low-level of performance is partly attributed to lack of motivation and partly to non-availability of necessary physical and other facilities.
There has been a strong debate whether or not the higher compensation package would be helpful in making the members of the police force more attentive to their duties and less prone to bribe-taking. Some people tend to believe that even better pay and other facilities would not be able to discourage the policemen from taking of bribes. Some others, however, have been rather sympathetic to the cause of the police. They argue that better pay and other facilities would surely motivate the police personnel to be honest to their duties and responsibilities. Yet they cannot be that sure about the level of urge for taking bribes among the police even after receiving better wages and facilities.
However, it has been observed that officials, particularly those in the private sector, receiving better wages and other fringe benefits are less prone to financial irregularities. The gross mismatch in salary structures of private and public sectors has been a great disincentive in this case. Some people do often complain that young talented university graduates these days are not competing for government jobs which once used to draw the most brilliant university graduates. There is nothing to complain about because arithmetic is playing its part here. The jobs that pay better, offer scopes for innovation and meet new challenges should be the most sought-after ones. And the private sector establishments are offering those and the bright young graduates are trying to grab the same.
The government's decision to raise the basic pay of the police employed in controlling traffic would create an opportunity to observe whether the hike has any impact on the performance level of the traffic police and their propensity to taking bribes. If the incentive is found effective, the government might go for expanding the facility to other wings of the police force. But the question is: How will the government monitor the impact?
Getting the feedback from the people, particularly the users and drivers of motor vehicles and transport owners will be one of the effective ways of knowing the impact. Besides, the government might consider formation of a non-police intelligence wing under the home ministry having the responsibility of tracking down the financial crimes within the police force. In this case, however, the officials of the cell should be paid handsome salary and benefits. Otherwise, the plan might backfire.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is an example what higher than normal pay and strict in-force monitoring and supervision can deliver. Except for a few cases, the RAB personnel drawn from the armed forces, BDR and police until now have proved their devotion to duty and honesty. The system of punishing the RAB personnel found guilty of any irregularity has proved to be the most effective way of keeping the standard of this elite force at high level. The police administration while offering better pay and other facilities to their men must find similar means of punishing the delinquent police personnel.