Public Administration in Ancient India c13.23

c13.23

The most important of the civil administrative departments was that of the Police. The duty of the Police was two-fold; to prevent the commission of crimes and to bring the offenders to justice. In pursuance of the first object, they kept an eye on all suspicious characters. When a theft occurred, and the police officers failed to trace and catch the thief, they had to make good the loss. Gautama says: "Having recovered property stolen by thieves, he (the King) shall return it to the owner; or (if the property is not recovered) he (the King) shall pay (its value) out of his treasury."¹ The Agni Purāna says: "The King should pay to the owner the price of an article stolen by a thief, and re-imburse himself out of the salaries of police officers.”¹ This wise regulation must have contributed in no small measure to the efficiency of the police service.