The journey of a Police Officer!

…Excerpts from the life of ACP Rakesh Kumar Sharma

There is always a story behind every successful person you see today. People who are at a high post or people who make big careers and have respect in society do not attain that by luck alone, it’s always a very big journey filled with their share of struggle and positive outcomes behind it. I got in touch with ACP Rakesh Kumar Sharma recently and spoke to him at great length about life in such a challenging line. 

Here are the questions I asked and the responses I received-

Q1. There is always a reason why we choose a certain career for ourselves. There is a motivation, a kick and that one big reason behind why we make a certain decision. What made you choose the Police Services?

I was a Commerce Graduate and Commerce Graduates usually pursue MBA or CA. But I had chosen my career in Police Services because I feel that it is a medium where you can work for Social Welfare and help the needy people by resolving their problems arised from say theft or harassment or any grave issues. The satisfaction or smile you see on people’s faces at the end of the day when things are sorted gives me inner peace. I am happy that people show their trust in us. 

Q2. Sometimes our youngsters really want to pursue a certain line, not only Police or Army or say any line as their career but somehow give up due to social pressure or lack of parental support if they fail in the first or second attempt. What is your advice to parents in this case?

There is a lot of competition in every field. There are less posts available and more people who fight in the ground to apply for them. It’s not that a child has not tried enough to get into something. Nobody would give an exam to fail. Everybody would have given it their complete effort.  I would tell the parents to keep yourself in your child’s place. Push your kids to do better. Tell them that it’s okay, we are there. Tell your daughters that it’s okay even if you get married 2 years later, there is no pressure. Your child can fly. Think first about your kids and then society.

Q3. Something for those who are still waiting to take their first step towards joining the Police and are confused.

The Police are not just limited to catching criminals today. The Police line is diverse. We are addressing Senior Citizens, RWA’s, Security Guards in localities, children in schools and much more. We are working on increasing the security and patrolling during festivals and giving self defence training to children in schools. We are working on the public interface at large. There is a risk factor involved in every job and you have to take a leap of faith if you really have a passion for something. 

Q4. “Most people today say that it’s a must to join Coaching if you want to clear the Civil Service Exam.” Your views on that. Is it really necessary to take coaching or self-study would help?

It is a misconception that “You will pass because of coaching.” All that matters to clear an exam is your preparation for it. One of the main things is your “focus”. We must have clarity about— “How to study?”, “What will be asked?”, “What will be your time-table?” and “How will you initiate your preparation?” During our time there used to be a magazine which was called— “COMPETITION- SUCCESS PREVIEW” which had mock tests. At that time we did not have a lot of options, but today there is a lot of study material that is available. One needs to filter out and study accordingly. Your ‘PRACTICE’ will make you win the race and practising through Mock Tests would help after your detailed study is complete. When I spoke to people who had already given 3-4 attempts during the time I was preparing my exam, I thought that if he studied 4-4.5 hours per day and cleared the exam in 3rd attempt then I must study 12-14 hours a day to clear it in my first attempt and I did clear it in the first attempt. Now, this is about your perspective. For instance, we know that UPSC Prelims would have Objective Type Questions and we have to prepare for it. Then how would you start preparing? First work on the variety of questions you have and then figure out your weak and strong areas. Work more to strengthen your strong areas even more. 

Q5. Recently when the rainy season hit Delhi, a lot of cases of electrocution related deaths came up. One of the most sad and shocking cases was the death of three students in Rajender Nagar based Coaching Center’s Basement. What lagged in Delhi as per your view? What could have been done to save these kinds of incidents?

The deaths happened due to infrastructural issues. Rajender Nagar was a Residential Area made with a Residential Planning. Slowly it turned into a busy Commercial Hub which led to such incidents. The basements and houses in residential areas are not equipped to handle a load of more than 20 people per day and Coaching Centres in residential areas were welcoming more than 50 students per day, the sewerage system collapsed due to that.

Our respected Lieutenant Governor of Delhi has decided to give out these services in a planned way by allotting lands for classrooms, hostels and Educational Institutions. The only solution to stop such mishaps is proper planning, Government nod and execution.

Q6. There have been horrifying cases of Rape and Rape related deaths recently. The West Bengal Trainee Doctor incident shook the nation and in the same week we saw many new spine chilling incidents of rape and death. Women today do not feel safe to go out alone even in broad daylight and when they do they are always extra cautious. What in your view lags in terms of law or security or maybe what can be implemented on ground to put a stop on such cases of threat to a woman’s life?

The law is very strict today. The new measures implemented are very stringent and the only punishment for such heinous crime is “Hang till Death” today. The maximum limit to solve sexual offence related matters is 60 days and the courts for giving out justice have been converted into Fast-Track Courts. 

Now, it’s high time that we must start large awareness campaigns for sensitising our boys and men to respect the opposite gender. We always tell girls to be careful, but we must teach our daughters to be brave, to learn self-defence and our boys must be raised to respect all genders. There should be public awareness about it and society must change for good.

Q7. Your view about the saddening amount of suicide cases amongst young students.

The percentage of suicide amongst youngsters is shocking. Social support should be there for the young generation to vent out their feelings. They should be understood and made more comfortable to speak what they feel freely without fear or negative thoughts. Earlier there used to be joint families and children used to talk to siblings, aunt and uncles or whoever they were comfortable with in the house. But today the culture of nuclear families has taken a rise and children are becoming more lonely day by day. We should develop a bond where communication should be built between siblings, children and their parents. 

Q8. Your one last advice to the Youth. 

Whatever we have earned as a country today is with great effort. Things have changed because of the youth. Our country is moving towards a positive trajectory. The coming time is for Indians. We are more educated and more cultured than most. 

Thank you readers for sparing your time to read this blog! Stay tuned and Stay motivated to keep moving ahead in life.