u/Fluffy-Contract-1345

I’m honestly so fed up with dealing with the police in Mumbai. Almost every interaction I’ve had with them has been unnecessarily frustrating and disappointing.

You go to them for the simplest possible thing, and somehow they’ll make sure you regret ever involving the police in the first place.

There are plenty of incidents I could talk about, but I’ll mention just one that pretty much sums up why I have such a strong dislike for dealing with them.

I had lost my LC (Leaving Certificate). I went to my college to get a duplicate, and they asked me to submit an affidavit on a ₹100 stamp paper along with a copy of a police report stating that the LC was lost/stolen.

Now, being reasonably educated and aware of how things work, I knew I could probably file an online report and get a copy. But apparently, that wasn't acceptable. My college specifically wanted a report from the nearest police station, with a stamped copy.

So, knowing exactly how this was going to go, I took leave from work on a Friday and went to the police station at around 12 PM. I had to submit the documents at college on Saturday, and they had promised me that I would get the duplicate LC the same day.

As soon as I reached the police station, they made me sit and wait.

And wait.

Meanwhile, the cops were casually discussing everything from tiffin boxes to girls to politics and whatever else. They weren't doing anything remotely urgent, but somehow I was the one who had to sit there for hours.

Around 2 PM, I finally asked how much longer it would take.

The response?

"Let bade sahab come."

To this day, I have absolutely no idea why a simple lost-document report required the presence of the "bade sahab."

Anyway, I waited.

And waited.

No bade sahab.

Finally, at around 5:30 PM, the SAME GUY who had been making me wait all this time called me to his desk.

He asked me three things:

Name.

Address.

Time of incident.

That's it.

He entered the details, and within literally 10 seconds, a printout came out of the printer. He stamped it, handed it to me, and I was done.

The entire process that had consumed 5½ hours of my day took approximately one minute.

I walked out of that police station absolutely furious.

It's not even about expecting them to work at lightning speed. It's the complete lack of respect for people's time. If something genuinely requires hours, fine. But if the actual process takes one minute, why make someone sit there for half a day?

This is the kind of experience that makes ordinary people dread going to the police even when they genuinely need their help.

And this is just one of the many experiences I've had.

I genuinely don't understand why basic public services have to feel like you're doing someone a favour by asking them to do their job.

I’m honestly so fed up with dealing with the police in Mumbai. Almost every interaction I’ve had with them has been unnecessarily frustrating and disappointing.

You go to them for the simplest possible thing, and somehow they’ll make sure you regret ever involving the police in the first place.

There are plenty of incidents I could talk about, but I’ll mention just one that pretty much sums up why I have such a strong dislike for dealing with them.

I had lost my LC (Leaving Certificate). I went to my college to get a duplicate, and they asked me to submit an affidavit on a ₹100 stamp paper along with a copy of a police report stating that the LC was lost/stolen.

Now, being reasonably educated and aware of how things work, I knew I could probably file an online report and get a copy. But apparently, that wasn't acceptable. My college specifically wanted a report from the nearest police station, with a stamped copy.

So, knowing exactly how this was going to go, I took leave from work on a Friday and went to the police station at around 12 PM. I had to submit the documents at college on Saturday, and they had promised me that I would get the duplicate LC the same day.

As soon as I reached the police station, they made me sit and wait.

And wait.

Meanwhile, the cops were casually discussing everything from tiffin boxes to girls to politics and whatever else. They weren't doing anything remotely urgent, but somehow I was the one who had to sit there for hours.

Around 2 PM, I finally asked how much longer it would take.

The response?

"Let bade sahab come."

To this day, I have absolutely no idea why a simple lost-document report required the presence of the "bade sahab."

Anyway, I waited.

And waited.

No bade sahab.

Finally, at around 5:30 PM, the SAME GUY who had been making me wait all this time called me to his desk.

He asked me three things:

Name.

Address.

Time of incident.

That's it.

He entered the details, and within literally 10 seconds, a printout came out of the printer. He stamped it, handed it to me, and I was done.

The entire process that had consumed 5½ hours of my day took approximately one minute.

I walked out of that police station absolutely furious.

It's not even about expecting them to work at lightning speed. It's the complete lack of respect for people's time. If something genuinely requires hours, fine. But if the actual process takes one minute, why make someone sit there for half a day?

This is the kind of experience that makes ordinary people dread going to the police even when they genuinely need their help.

And this is just one of the many experiences I've had.

I genuinely don't understand why basic public services have to feel like you're doing someone a favour by asking them to do their job.

I’m honestly so fed up with dealing with the police in Mumbai. Almost every interaction I’ve had with them has been unnecessarily frustrating and disappointing.

You go to them for the simplest possible thing, and somehow they’ll make sure you regret ever involving the police in the first place.

There are plenty of incidents I could talk about, but I’ll mention just one that pretty much sums up why I have such a strong dislike for dealing with them.

I had lost my LC (Leaving Certificate). I went to my college to get a duplicate, and they asked me to submit an affidavit on a ₹100 stamp paper along with a copy of a police report stating that the LC was lost/stolen.

Now, being reasonably educated and aware of how things work, I knew I could probably file an online report and get a copy. But apparently, that wasn't acceptable. My college specifically wanted a report from the nearest police station, with a stamped copy.

So, knowing exactly how this was going to go, I took leave from work on a Friday and went to the police station at around 12 PM. I had to submit the documents at college on Saturday, and they had promised me that I would get the duplicate LC the same day.

As soon as I reached the police station, they made me sit and wait.

And wait.

Meanwhile, the cops were casually discussing everything from tiffin boxes to girls to politics and whatever else. They weren't doing anything remotely urgent, but somehow I was the one who had to sit there for hours.

Around 2 PM, I finally asked how much longer it would take.

The response?

"Let bade sahab come."

To this day, I have absolutely no idea why a simple lost-document report required the presence of the "bade sahab."

Anyway, I waited.

And waited.

No bade sahab.

Finally, at around 5:30 PM, the SAME GUY who had been making me wait all this time called me to his desk.

He asked me three things:

Name.

Address.

Time of incident.

That's it.

He entered the details, and within literally 10 seconds, a printout came out of the printer. He stamped it, handed it to me, and I was done.

The entire process that had consumed 5½ hours of my day took approximately one minute.

I walked out of that police station absolutely furious.

It's not even about expecting them to work at lightning speed. It's the complete lack of respect for people's time. If something genuinely requires hours, fine. But if the actual process takes one minute, why make someone sit there for half a day?

This is the kind of experience that makes ordinary people dread going to the police even when they genuinely need their help.

And this is just one of the many experiences I've had.

I genuinely don't understand why basic public services have to feel like you're doing someone a favour by asking them to do their job.