FOP an instance of perception re-engineering

The FOP or Friends of People, Police, Press, Poor, Progress, Pupils, Principles, Peace concept transforms the perceptions of the average citizen such that he/she becomes empowered by a new sense of identity with all these facets. The average citizen whose concept of citizenship was that he/she should live peacefully, enjoy his/her rights, pay the taxes, obey the laws, now realizes that the citizen can play a more active contributory role in society and the state. Besides, the perception about the police, the equal role of the public in policing, the perception of the police themselves vis a vis their role as catalysts facilitating citizens to better police themselves lead to mutual understanding and a better security environment. The police, for one thing will begin to perceive themselves not as agents of the government or not merely as creatures of the law but as servants and friends of the people as a whole. This perception will lead to behavioural modification since people are beginning to openly identify themselves as Friends of Police, it behooves the police to behave as Friends of People. The palpable sense of fear of police that exists in postcolonial countries like India will begin to decline and eventually disappear. The people's perception that police are indeed, their friends and can be trusted would lead to them sharing information and intelligence with the police. When citizens participate in policing by doing night patrols, traffic regulation and so on, their perception of the police will change and they will develop a sense of empathy for the police. The view that the police are defenders of the status quo, and are pro-rich and anti-poor will change when the other meaning of FOP Friend of Poor is canvassed. People and police personnel will begin to take actions to help the poor and underprivileged. Such changes in perception, behaviour and actions will lead to a gradual, incremental transformation of the hitherto negative police image in the eyes of the public they are meant to serve.

Perception and National Development

Deng Xiaoping, the architect of Modern China was invited by Lee Yuankew , then President of Singapore to witness first hand the economic miracle wrought under his leadership in Singapore. That visit transformed Deng's perception of the utility of capitalism and the virtue of free enterprise. Thereafter, he sent several delegations of Chinese officials to Singapore. They too felt that a similar economic transformation was possible in mainland China. Altered perceptions of the path of economic development led China to give up Communist notions of state ownership of capitalism and the crushing of private initiative. It led to the concept of the Special Economic Zone. Deng's new orientation to policy was famously summed up in his aphorism that " it does not matter if a cat was black or red, as long as it caught the mice." Communist Capitalism was the net result with the political reins of power in the hands of the Communist Party of China and the reins of economic development in the hands of private enterprise funded by foreign capital.

Perception Re-engineering

Actually, the concept and technique is more aptly called Perception re-engineering because on account of our past conditioning, we already have some perceptions on various subjects but re-engineering it is what will bring about a virtual transformation of our psyche, personality,life and environment. For instance, to bring about a change in the die-hard no change policing process in India, there are a large number of police chiefs as well as the rank and file on the one hand and sceptical public on the other who do not perceive reform happening. But if they take a cue from the UHM's remark in a DGP's conference that the police are treated like a football, and police chiefs all over the country organize football tournaments between police and public or FOPs(Friends of Police) during this season of the World Cup tournament in South Africa, global and national attention is focussed on police reform in India. The football can have police written on one side and public on the other. A creative stone thrown in the big pond of public opinion will have a ripple effect creating unforeseen changes on distant shores. Mahatma Gandhi attempted something similar when he took the common man's daily necessity, salt and undertook a long walk to a seashore to violate the new British made tax law on salt, unleashing torrents of transformation on the Indian political scene.