Peace, order and stability hold the key to the natural development of society and happiness of citizens. Robust rule of law and a sense of justice not only ensure normalcy but also instil confidence in the people, enabling them to pursue the profession of their choice and live a life of dignity. A quarrelsome family and community hardly sustain the foundation and values of society. Any prevailing system works smoothly only if there is enduring peace. Every society and nation has its inherent formal structure to maintain law, order and peace. This set-up entails different layers of security bodies ranging from military to police personnel to intelligence wings. They are tasked to effectively deal with internal and external security threats. This is a reason why security organisations form the integral part of nation because they protect the life, rights and sovereignty of the people.
Nepal Police has been a primary law enforcement agency responsible for the maintenance of internal security. It prevents the criminal activities and investigates crimes of various sorts with a view to eradicating the elements that contribute to the occurrences of criminal events. However, it is involved not only in the prevention and control of crimes. As per the constitution, it provides security to the VIPs, vital and strategic infrastructures and gets involved in the traffic management, and operation of secret services and disaster management, among others. Given the humongous challenges it is facing, the organisational structure of Nepal Police should be strong, professional and efficient. This requires sufficient budget allocation, incentives and brighter career prospects for the personnel who often risk their lives while discharging their duty.
However, according to a news report in this daily, a significant number of trained police personnel have been leaving their job mainly due to lack of adequate facilities and incentives as well as household problems. A report ‘A study on the current state of morale of constables and privates in Nepal Police: Factors and areas of motivation enhancement report 2020', conducted by Nepal Police, reveals a disturbing reality. It has disclosed that mostly constables and other juniors resign after the completion of the pension period so that they will live with their families. Throughout their arduous service, they fail to get adequate leave from office. Similarly, the provision of non-transfer of policemen near their home district has given rise to the trend of quitting the organisation. Some leave the service before completing the 20-year pension period, which they consider too long. Altogether 7,714 police personnel quit their jobs in the last three years.
The study was conducted on 4,548 constables and privates from all the States. Of them, 31 per cent quit their jobs due to domestic problems, 16.90 per cent due to completion of their pension period, 16.80 per cent due to lack of services and 11.90 per cent due to fear of their services and salaries being snatched. Others quit for joining foreign job and owing to disability and lack of clear future plan. To end this trend, the government should increase service facilities, boost career development and reduce pension period to 16 years from 20 years. The study report should be used as a policy input to carry out broader reforms in the police organisation whose effectiveness, transparency and integrity are vital to good governance and democratic order in the country.