The Leader of Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, in a meeting with the commanders of the police force, considered the Police as the symbol of sovereignty and security of Islamic Republic of Iran, while putting emphasis on maintenance of personal, social, ethical, and psychological security as the most important responsibilities shouldered by the Police Force. The Leader underlined that the might of the police force is necessary for maintenance of security. However, this power should be coupled with justice and kindness.
The Leader of Islamic Revolution pointed out that we don’t want the might, similar to that of the police force in Western communities and the US, while adding that such a might would not establish security in the community and will in fact stir insecurity. The Leader also reminded that in the US, which currently has a black president; blacks are suppressed, neglected, and humiliated by the police force, which in turn has led to a number of protests.
The power of police force in any given community brings about security and stability. Different countries have adopted different approaches to fulfill the might of their police force. In some countries, efforts are made to couple the might of the police force with the law-abiding and respectful behavior of the police. In this approach, police force is part of people, and a mutual trust has been formed between the people and police force. In Islamic Republic of Iran, this mission has been defined for the police force.
The behavior of the police toward people should be such that people would consider the police force as part of the community, and guarantor of security and calm in their community.
Meanwhile, in some countries, police tries to strengthen itself by scaremongering and getting equipped with different types of weapons. This type of strength may establish an apparent security, but brings about psychological insecurity. Police is not just the guarantor of the apparent security of the community. The scope of the police mission in today’s world is much vaster that this. The strength of the police force should make offenders realize they will pay a hefty price for their crimes, thereby lowering the offenses committed in the community to a minimum. Meanwhile, in the US, which maintains a multi- racial, religious, and ethnic community, the police force has turned into a symbol of psychological insecurity in the society. This has mainly generated concerns among the racial and religious minorities in the US. In the view of the US brutal police force, all blacks are accused of crimes, unless it is proven otherwise. The murder of blacks in the US by the police force and the acquittal of the killer police by the US judicial system have turned into an ordinary matter in the US.
This goes to show that despite the passage of forty years from the civil rights movement in the US, racism is institutionalized in that country.
