Shafin wadood
Shafinllb@outlook.com
The judiciary is one of the main pillar of democracy, and the security and safety of judges are imperative to maintain the rule of law. Over the past few years, there has been an escalating concern regarding judges’ security, especially in view of rising threats and attacks against the judiciary.
Judges are frequently threatened and intimidated by different groups, such as litigants, organized crime, and even government organizations. They may be threatened in numerous ways, ranging from physical assaults to cyberbullying and harassment. Judges have sometimes even been murdered or physically assaulted And when some special duty comes e.g cricket team arrived all the security forces gets off from the duty of judges just to protect cricketers, if there is shortage of security personnels then why not to create another force like Airport security force (ASF).
In order to counter these fears, it is increasingly that judges require an independent security force committed to their protection. This force would be only task with securing judges, their families, and court buildings.
A separate security force would ensure a greater security for judges, lessening the threat of attack and harm. The separate security force would be specifically trained to respond to the special security needs of judges. It would be more efficient to utilize resources in a separate security force, as security staff would work solely for judges security. Judges morale and stress levels would be improved knowing that they have a separate security force.
Some countries have created independent security forces for judges such as, United States of America (Federal judges are secured by the U.S. Marshals Service) United Kingdom (The Metropolitan Police Service has a special unit for judges security).
There will be some challenges as a separate security force for judges as it is a good concept, but there are some challenges as first creating an independent security force would be a costly affair but there will be more job opportunities also. The personnel of such an independent security force would need training to address the special security threats to judges and independent security force idea must be go into parliament for regularising and making new law about ‘Judicial Force’
Securing judges is critical to protecting the rule of law and ensuring public confidence in the judiciary. Having a distinct security force to secure judges would add an extra layer of protection and enhance the overall security environment. Although there are concerns and challenges, the advantages of having a distinct security force outweigh the disadvantages.
