By Rabi Raj Thapa

A national security apparatus is divided into many layers that are seldom visible to the common people. At the top, there is a president as the Supreme Commander of all security bodies. Then there is a Prime Minister as the executive head and chairman of the National Security Council. Under the executive head comes the Home Ministry and ministry officials who are known as oversight body of both police organizations. It is the Ministry of Home Affairs that plays around with Nepal Police and Armed Police Force, Nepal, as a cat plays with a mouse.  

Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has come up with Nepal Police Bill 2081, that Nepal Police should be grateful to the Home Minister despite his Visit Visa entanglement. It is also good news that the government is preparing to purchase weapons worth one billion rupees including 9 mm. pistols and shotguns. Now the people and police personnel wonder what the urgent need for police organizations – own barracks, toilets, a comfortable time and place to rest or pistols and shotguns?  

Police need god motivation and a compassionate head and heart to serve well. This all determines the government's intention to protect and earn respect for its citizens. Humans in uniform have heads and hearts, not pistols and shotguns. Experience and studies show that pistols are the least used weapon by any security personnel in Nepal. Why cannot Nepal’s Blue Uniformed personnel also perform duties like the police of Great Britain, “The BOBBYS, who don’t carry personnel weapons?

Why cannot the government and the concerned stakeholders think of providing basic amenities to the police organizations and always think of buying guns and shotguns? Today, both police organizations desperately need a budget for toilets, rooms, and barracks to improve basic living and working conditions to the minimum. It needs fuel and maintenance, vehicles and ambulances than firearms and guns. Such demands should have come from the police organizations and the ministry by themselves.

It is a surprise such observations were my onetime sports minister and the Member of the Parliament Biraj Bhakta Shrestha raised the question of the dire basic needs of both Nepal Police and Armed Police Force organizations at the Parliament Oversight Committee.  Moreover, he observed the pathetic living and working conditions of police personnel outside Kathmandu Valley, specially, in the remote areas of Nepal.

The present government and concerned stakeholders look more interested in buying equipment than in thinking about the well-being and welfare of police personnel. The need of the day is to meet the basic needs of lower-ranking police personnel like kitchen, toilet, and a place to sleep comfortably. Now the time has come to research and study why youth have less inclination and motivation to join the police force; and why their desertion and resignation in growing in an alarming proportion. The Nepal Government needs to concentrate more on attracting Nepali youth to join police services; improve qualitative services with good remuneration, improve and manage duty hours, and increase welfare facilities to their dependents. The organization is faltering in their career planning and strategy of retention. Both organizations are failing to stop early retirement which costs a lot of money to the government.

Pistols and shotguns are obviously necessary components, but there are more urgent basic needs like a healthy kitchen, toilet, washroom and bed to rest, that can be domestically met, comparatively cheap and affordable. It doesn’t need any L/C to enrich brokers of global military-industrial complexes who have killed too many civilians already.    

If the government wants, it can meet these minimum and affordable requirements immediately. But, if it ignores as usual, it can neither serve the government as demanded nor provide expected qualitative services by the people who feel secure and comfortable with the police we have in Nepal.