Policing expert to speak Friday

While the United States is often regarded as having the best policing system in the world, India’s police force isn’t far behind. Police were able to contain the millions of rioters in the street this week when India won the world cup in cricket, said Arvind Verma, associate director of India studies program and professor of criminal justice.\n“The crowds become destructive and how the police maintain order is very efficient,” Verma said. “They are used to handling large amounts of crowds in both small and large towns.”\nTo highlight the crowd control and maintenance techniques that India has to offer to the rest of the world, Verma invited David Bayley, distinguished professor of criminal justice at the University at Albany SUNY, to speak at 5 p.m. Friday in Woodburn Hall 002. \n“He is the foremost authority on policing in the world,” Verma said. “He has also written several books and articles on India and its police system, and will be releasing his latest book later this year.”\nBayley authored “Intergroup Relations: An Integrative Developmental and Social Psychological Perspective (Studies in Crime and Public Policy),” which discusses the psychological effects of democratic policing on war-torn nations. The book is set to release in November of this year.\nBayley has studied policing systems in India, Japan, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the United States. His primary focuses are “strategies of policing, the evolution of police organizations, organizational reform, accountability, and the tactics of patrol officers in discretionary law-enforcement situations,” according to a press release. \n“He will be speaking about his experience in democratic policing in India, and how such techniques can be applied to the situation in Iraq,” Verma said.\nBayley will also discuss what India has to offer regarding the rights of its citizens and maintaining order, Verma said.\nVerma noted that out of India’s 600 million eligible voters, 400 million show up to the polls on voting day.\n“Trying to maintain social order and make sure people vote properly is a very large task,” Verma said. “India’s policing system can control that many people effectively.”\nBayley will also be available at 11 a.m. Friday for a coffee hour at the India Studies House at 825 E. 8th St.