BANGALORE, India - Poor working conditions and a culture of impunity encourage Indian police to commit human rights abuses to cope with an excessive workload, a report said Tuesday.

Human Rights Watch said it had interviewed officers who admitted to illegally detaining and torturing suspects, fabricating charges and refusing to register new complaints because of pressure to clear a backlog of cases.

Insufficient resources such as mobile phones, vehicles and forensic equipment also forced many officers to resort to "shortcuts," said the report titled "Broken System: Dysfunction, Abuse and Impunity in the Indian Police."

Several anonymous officers spoke about committing "encounter killings" - killing a suspect and then claiming the victim died after initiating a shootout - in an attempt to boost their performance rates.

"Police who commit or order torture and other abuses need to be treated as the criminals they are," said Brad Adams, HRW's Asia director.

Low-ranking officers - who comprise 85 percent of the Indian police - often work long hours and live in cramped quarters far from their families.

Most of them are not trained to handle complex criminal investigations.

The report said marginalised groups such as religious and sexual minorities, women, lower-caste and poor Indians were vulnerable to police abuse as they lack the money or political connections to defend themselves.

The report recommended properly investigating and penalising authorities who violate rights and improving working and living conditions which "contribute to the abusive patterns of behaviour".

"They should be given the resources, training, equipment and encouragement to act professionally and ethically," said Adams.

He also urged the government to repeal laws that shield police from prosecution for actions conducted while on "official duty".

"Indians avoid contact with the police out of fear," he said. "So crimes go unreported and unpunished, and the police can't get the cooperation they need from the public to prevent and solve crimes."