Police and Human Rights

Human Rights are universal legal guarantees protecting individuals and groups against actions by government that interfere with fundamental freedoms and human dignity. Human Rights law obliges governments to do some things and prevents them from doing others. Human Rights as a democratic society experiences today is the result of the evolution of human consciousness on the basis of the necessary demand for life based on equality, freedom and justice in a civilized society. Hence human rights are reflections of a civil society to protect and promote rule of law and human dignity.¹

For preserving law and order and to ensure that the citizens confirmed to the accepted civilized norms and codes in the society, it became necessary for all organized societies, to have a system to the conduct of citizens. Initially, the people themselves performed this regulatory function, as time progressed and society advance, it became difficult for citizens to devote time for their activity and slowly a paid organization designated as the ‘Police ’came into being. The word ‘police ’is derived from the Greek word ‘Politeia ’or its Latin equivalent ‘Politia ’. The Latin word ‘Politia ’stand for state or administration. The term ‘Police ’is now used preliminary to denote a body of people organized to maintain civil order and public safety, to enforcement the law, and to investigate breaches on the law.²