Policing and social media sousveillance

In contrast to Surveillance, which means ‘looking from above’, Sousveillance is ‘looking from below’ implying common man keeping a watch on authority figures.
.........................................................
Recently a WhatsApp video got a Tirunelveli police SI suspended. The video, probably shot by a concealed mobile, showed the SI harassing a couple for a Rs.1000 bribe. 


In Facebook there are many pages like the popular ‘Keep calm and film the police’  which the public post mobile videos of police intimidation, harassment and excess force. In the last month itself there were 3 videos of shooting fatalities, which got the involved police-men punished.

YouTube has thousands of videos on police bullying. One can also come across a few videos appreciating police, if one searches really hard! :)
Traffic cop - 25 years without a complaint against him

Social media is double edged weapon. 

Positive side of public vigilance
On the positive side, social media forces more accountability and transparency from the police - which is a good for the common man. Especially in gun-surplus USA, police have a tendency to shoot or tase, rather than risk close-quarter take-downs or compliance holds.

The video shows the infamous 1991 Rodney King beating. The acquittal of the 4 Los Angeles policemen sparked riots by blacks, which resulted in 58 killings and more than $1 Billion property damage.  Subsequently, an enquiry commission looked into LAPD’s recruitment and training practices, internal disciplinary procedure and citizen complaint system.

Numerous acts of racial profiling issues and petty Corruption,at the grass root level, have come under heavy public scrutiny. Everyday hundreds of anti-police videos are uploaded from all over the world. It looks like the YouTube has become an outlet for the anger, fear and frustration of the common man!

TN Woman Inspector has to be rescued by colleagues


This high visibility has put pressure on training police in soft-skills, anger management and stress control. Community policing initiatives which enhance image-perception of police as empathetic facilitators of social harmony is imperative at this juncture.

The importance of mindset in policing


The negative side of Sousveillance

 Higher cost of policing
Social media pours oil in the fire started by citizen Sousveillance . The recent #BlackLivesMatter campaign against blacks being targeted frequently by US police has prompted the 10000 strong LAPD to equip all the officers with body-cam. So, the already strained budgets of police departments are stretched even further.

 Probably soon we will also see police trolling flame-posts of public on Facebook, Twitter and WhatApp. 

 6 'invisible' signs that a subject is resisting a police officer


 More red tape and less morale
More time is spent by police on bureaucratic chores like recording, writing reports instead of doing actual law-enforcement on the field.

 The most critical blow is on the morale of the force. An isolated view of an incident, which does not show what preceded, presents a skewed view of policing.

 A police officer handling a situation is making split-second decisions in the heat of confrontation. He is under extreme physical, mental stress and probably even fearing for his own personal safety. But, unfortunately, the viewer with all his prejudices and ignorance of criminal mindset comes to easy conclusions, sitting in the comfort of his room.

 If the police are continuously criticized by the community, he will hesitate or even avoid confrontation when a crime is taking place. That would be a bad day as the community will be the mercy of anti-socials.
........................................................

 S.SREERAM
KravMaga TamilNadu
Mobile: 93400 06600
Email-  kravmaga.chennai@gmail.com
Chennai Site - www.kravmagatamilnadu.com
...........................................................................
"So that one may walk in peace" ... Imi Lichtenfeld, Founder of KravMaga
KRAVMAGA BLOG -  http://kravmaga-chennai.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK -KRAV MAGA TAMILNADUi
YOUTUBE - http://www.youtube.com/user/KravMagaSreeRam
..............................................................................................
FREE PDF BOOKLET - 10As of Personal Safety for Women 
GOOGLE PROFILE - http://www.google.com/profiles/ksr96
TWEET - @kravMagaSreeRam

Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Comments

  1. sukereMay 16, 2017 at 2:51 AM

    nice blog thanks for sharing Digital Marketing Training in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bharath RajJuly 10, 2017 at 12:53 AM

    You should also check out Jobs Micro. This is a leading Job search website in India which benefits both the employees and the employers. Hope it helps you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ganeshJuly 13, 2017 at 12:10 AM

    Very good information and nice bloger
    Social Media Marketing Workshop in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  4. Caroline ThomasJuly 17, 2017 at 6:14 AM

    That's good to hear about it.Thanks for giving such a good content.
    Telecom analytics company
    Healthcare analytics company
    Finance analytics company
    Retail analytics company

    ReplyDelete
  5. Safety ProfessionalJuly 23, 2017 at 12:21 AM

    safety engineering courses in Chennai
    safety engineering course in Chennai
    industrial safety engineering course in chennai
    Diploma in safety course in Chennai
    Safety engineer courses in Chennai
    safety courses in chennai
    Diploma in Industrial safety course in Chennai
    Diploma in industrial safety courses in Chennai


    ReplyDelete
  6. sanjayJuly 25, 2017 at 3:36 AM

    nice blog
    Great Information.
    Beauty Culture
    VLCC institute has a dedicated in-house placement cell which provides job opportunities
    to the students in major wellness and beauty companies across India.

    ReplyDelete
  7. BalrajkumarJuly 27, 2017 at 1:58 AM

    Very nice article, good creation and thanks for sharing
    Best of Social Media training in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  8. kamalakar reddyAugust 1, 2017 at 11:41 PM

    Very nice article, good creation and thanks for sharing
    Best of Social Media training in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  9. naveenSeptember 4, 2017 at 9:51 PM

    Thank you for providing such nice and useful information.
    Best digital marketing workshop in chennai

    ReplyDelete
  10. naveenOctober 9, 2017 at 3:14 AM

    Really awesome blog. Your blog is really useful for me. Thanks for sharing this informative blog. Keep update your blog
    Best digital marketing workshop in chennai

    ReplyDelete
  11. sumathi rajasingNovember 13, 2017 at 12:26 AM

    Nice information and so useful matter
    Best of Social Media training in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  12. Karnati.BalachandraNovember 21, 2017 at 10:35 PM

    It’s grate too good information thank you so much for sharing. Best of Social Media training in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  13. sujithaJanuary 5, 2018 at 9:43 PM

    Usually I never comment on blogs but your article is so convincing that I never stop myself to say something about it. You’re doing a great job Keep it up.
    Best of Social Media training in Chennai

    ReplyDelete
  14. Arjun KapoorMay 2, 2018 at 4:08 AM

    I am happy that I found your post while searching for informative posts. It is very useful.Thanks for sharing.

    Best school in MKB Nagar

    ReplyDelete
  15. getsol indiaMay 29, 2018 at 10:50 PM

    nice blog..
    Seo Company in Chennai
    Best Seo Services in Chennai
    seo services in chennai
    seo service provider
    best seo company in chennai
    Social Media Marketing Companies in Chennai
    Social Media Marketing Chennai
    social media marketing agency in chennai

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Dynamics of Police encounters - Part 2 The background of encountered criminals

Image
The Dynamics of Police encounters - Part 2
The background of encountered criminals - Venkatesh Pannaiyar This was an encounter which resulted in the transfer of the charismatic Vijayakumar IPS, the then Commissioner of Police, Chennai. Read on to understand how the police fight crime with one arm tied behind their back. Also how the media, which cant shed its caste and community prejudices, packed off an efficient officer from the state itself, in spite of delivering whatever assignment given to him.
VENKATESH PANNAIYAR - THE BACKGROUND 
The diminutive and nattily dressed Venkatesh Pannaiyar won’t physically fit the prevalent image of a don.
But he is a product of generations of caste feud plaguing Southern TamilNadu. His family is from Moolakarai near Tuiticorin; an area with the dubious reputation for making country bombs and gun running.
Venkatesh's uncle, grandfather - important elders of their community have been murdered by Dalits, when he was a boy. Venkatesh, grew up as a…
Read more

WHY SOME FREEZE IN A CRISIS AND HOW TO AVOID IT.

Image
In a sudden confrontation, people often freeze. Even martial-art practitioners and military soldiers are not exempt from this comatose response. First we will look at why this happens and later we will see how to train the body and mind to avoid this freeze.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING 'THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT' SITUATION The technical term is Tachypsychia. In this neurological condition due to a sudden surge of adrenalin in the blood stream, the following happen - • Heart beat can rise up to 300 bpm, resulting in high Blood pressure. That’s why many faint in a crisis. • Heavy breathing due to dilation of airway to lungs. • Limbs don’t move, as body prepares for defensive foetal posture. • Dilated eye pupils, which produces visual exclusion known commonly as 'tunnel vision'. That’s why people lose peripheral vision. • Auditory exclusion also happens. That’s why people in shock appear deaf and seem to be far away, in their own world. • Epinephrine dump in the brain makes Time either speed u…
Read more

Are women safe on the Indian streets? The ugly truth revealed by statistics. (1 of 5 on Sexual Harassment)

Image
After the Guwahati incident, wherein a girl was sexually molested by around 30 men, I have been getting calls from concerned parents and IT/BPO companies which employ women; all enquiring about self-defense courses. Suddenly here was an ugly reminder of the safety of women on Indian streets. 
“Oh..come on..it’s the same all over the world. .tell me..if the girl is walking outside a bar at that time, what does she expect?!”  shrugged one middle aged man, while another waved the whole the thing away with a generic dismissal , “She is a victim of the angrezi pub culture”
But the truth is more ugly and accurate, as these facts below point out. The security of woman in India is amongst the lowest, globally ( Source - http://www.womanstats.org) The more startling fact is, even war-torn Somalia is rated a better country in terms of safety of women! India is at the bottom 4 along with Afghanistan, Congo and Pakistan. (Source -www.trust.org)
In India , Andhra and Bengal seem to be the worst state…
Read more