Twenty-two years ago, when I decided to join the elite Indian Police Service, I saw in it a great potential for the “power to do,” the “power to get things done,” and the “power to correct.” I do firmly believe that the police in any country can be the greatest protector of human rights and the rule of law—as it can as well be the greatest violator of both.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award has done a couple of magical things in my case, as it has in others. It has recognized:

1. The Power to Prevent
    Crime prevention is usually given a lower priority and underestimated as an area of policing. What gets priority and headlines are detections and seizures, not prevention of delinquency and breach of peace, which have all the potential of violent crime.

2. The Power of Policing the People
    “Policing is for the people,” therefore people must be made partners in policing. Once that is done in a variety of ways, it provides transparency and accountability to the whole system. Resources that cannot alone come from the police could come from participative policing.

3. The Power of the Team
    Leaders of the police or government, if they want results, need to form teams and allow them initiatives, delegation, support, noninterference, and training, with total emphasis on professional integrity. While personal example is crucial, sharing of achievements will lead to more results. This will lead to not only “keeping security” but “creating security.”