Worried by incidents tarnishing the image of the police force, Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh said Thursday if police officials start being friendly with the general public, the common man would respect them like soldiers.
"You have a huge responsibility. Understand the dignity and importance of this. Be friendly with people. Behave politely with the common man who runs this country," he said.
Addressing the convocation ceremony of Sardar Patel University for Police, Security and Criminal Justice, Singh said there has always been a complaint that police officials were not friendly. He advised them to be polite with the common man.
The governor said a policeman guarding our cities is equally entitled for respect, like a soldier fighting on the border to secure the country.
"But for this, they would have to be friendly with people and they would respect them like they do to the army personnel," said Singh.
The police department needed strongly to change perception about itself, he said, adding criminals, mafia etc. are the enemies of the police, not the common man.
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Citing his stint as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Singh said he was told in a meeting by police officers that there was a decline in crime rate in the state.
"But I told them that my perception about a good law and order situation was when a woman could reach home safely after watching a movie during night shows," he said.