India, July 28 -- Three unrelated criminal cases involving serving police personnel in Pune city and district within less than a year have not only put the spotlight on misconduct within the police department but have also raised the broader question whether existing internal checks are sufficient to detect such misconduct early and reinforce public trust in the police force. While the accused officers belong to different units and allegations vary from extortion to robbery, the cases have collectively reignited the debate on internal vigilance, supervision and accountability.

The most recent case surfaced last week when two policemen attached to the Rajgad police station were named among 10 accused in an alleged attempt to rob a busines...