Police Reforms Challenges and Opportunities

The speakers and experts, while highlighting deficiencies in the police department, said that an effective check and balance system, culture of accountability under an internal mechanism, community policing, modern trainings and equipment were necessary to improve performance and to make it an efficient and effective public service department.

“Police Reforms: Challenges and Opportunities” jointly organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute and Center for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) jointly organized this seminar here on Monday. Daniyal Aziz, Advisor, Governance Institutes Network International (GINI) presided over the proceedings and gave of detailed account of reform efforts in Pakistan including the Police Order 2002. He said that police system in Pakistan have been deteriorated by successive governments while highlighting the need of professionalism and strengthening of role of law enforcement agencies.

He said that the Police Order 2002 was part of a much wider set of administrative reforms, not seen in previous history of Pakistan. Whereas policing practices of the British times were being followed in Pakistan. These reforms would help Pakistan transition from a colonial system to a democratic one. They would most importantly create a separation between the police and judiciary. He said that while the Order had been well drafted, it was the implementation that was the major issue.

Former Federal Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah said that the effective system of checks and balances, accountability, community policing and effective responsiveness system and culture in police department was must to improve the role, image and above performance of police department. He said that the Police Order 2002 was introduced with a good intention of making police a democratically controlled institution out of political interferences. However, partial implementation of the system under which operational and administrative powers were given to police but accountability mechanisms such a Police Complaint Authority (PCA) and Public Service Safety Commissions at district, provincial and federal level could not be established. He elaborated that role of PCA was to check the misconduct, highhandedness and corruption. “ In the absence of accountability and checks and balances, the police is likely to indulge in high-handedness and misconduct” he added.

He further elaborated that the current deficiencies and issues in police system have their deep roots in colonial system as Britishers had enacted Police Act 1861 with the objective of keeping the police under the firm control of government while rules were formulated in 1934. He added that this act and regulations were only applicable to areas inhabitant by Indians and British inhabitant areas themselves were not managed by these legislation. He said that since 1947, over 11 committees and commissions have been formed to reform the police but only Police Order 2002 was a significant change in the system but it could not desired objectives due to its partial implementation.

Executive Director,Center for Peace and Development Initiatives Mukhtar Ahmad Ali was of the view that the major challenge was to develop a consensus on as to how reform the police system. He said that police has been under-resourced for decades but now significant improvements have been made in allocations to police adding that this increase have not benefited the officers of lower ranks. Talking of inappropriate and incompetent investigation system, he said that the police senior officers have always resisted reforms in this mechanism while representative selection criteria and trainings were necessary. He said that citizens have no complaint mechanisms against police while absence of a weak culture of internal accountability involving Police Commissions was need of the hour in addition to the role of related institutions such courts and ombudsman. He was of the view that police was a provincial subject whereas it was led by officers from central government which reduces role of provinces into police affair besides police leadership could not be developed at provincial levels. He said that half of the population was women whereas police department has a very low women representation besides there was a need of changing the design of police station building to make it a public service-oriented department.

SP Traffic and Capital Territory Police Farhat Kazmi was of the view that no reforms can be successful until and unless the criteria for leadership and training of police were not changed significantly. He said that directly inducted officers under Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) were given leadership roles in the department while ranks officers were not encouraged for leadership positions. Secondly, there should a standard system of trainings for PSPs and Ranks officers besides trainings should be given at different levels.

Director, Individual land Gulmina Bilal informed of their efforts for engaging stakeholders over the years, which has resulted into publication of over 22 papers. She said the political interference, lack of resources, corruption, mismanagement and human rights violations were some of the key issues in police department. She said that police officials themselves face many problems whereas proper police stations were vital for efficient police system.