The police have forgotten the reality that they are public servants. The role of a public servant as a police official is to protect and promote human rights. In the wake of recent events, there is a dire need to rebuild the relationship between the police and the public. No one can deny the fact that news about police involved in crimes has become part of people’s daily life. Trust in the police has plummeted. Due to safety reasons, citizens don’t like to work in association with the police, report crimes or to be witnesses.
It is obvious that people like to abide by the rule of law when they believe in the legitimacy and authority of the police. For that, it is mandatory to restore the trust of the police in the public. Involvement of police officials in crime isn’t new, but now the police have started to kill the common people involved in petty crimes. That is the worst thing. The recent case of Salahuddin, allegedly killed by police, is one example. After this incident, the police have become a focal point for media, and particularly social media. It is horrible when police intentionally torture a mentally stable or unstable person; it is always unacceptable. They must realise that there are always many other non-lethal options available to them.
A perception is built in Pakistan that policing is characterised by torture, illegal arrest and detention, brutality, partiality, corruption and abuse of the due process. The most important factor is the illegal interference of politicians and feudal lords in police operations. The police are unsupported, under-resourced and work in extremely challenging and difficult circumstances.
The main responsibilities of the police are to protect and preserve harmony, law and order, deference to basic rights of citizens, to combat crime, and to provide assistance and service to the public. It is the responsibility of the police to enhance and support the legitimacy of the state. Police professionalism and common values are integrity, impartiality, loyalty, honesty, pursuit of excellence, compassion, trust, freedom, accountability, fairness, transparency, social responsibility, discipline, and self-constraint. Preservation and protection of public life, property and belongings must be the priority of the police, but the top priority must always be the lives of people.
In Pakistan, a large populous country, the police needs to be well-equipped in terms of weapons, forensic science, communication and transport to perform their role in the best possible way. The police must be accountable for their poor performance. But at the same time, the job of the police is difficult in a country like Pakistan where the state wrestles with economic inequality and differences, social and political disagreements, sectarianism, and ethnic and race issues. All these issues result in clashes between the police and citizens, hence increasing the probability of more human rights abuses. It includes unlawful killings, brutality, disappearances, verbal abuse, abuse of authority, rudeness and rigid behaviour with citizens. The higher authorities may be disinclined to hold officers accountable, and there may be a failure for victims to seek redress. There may even be public acceptance of police misdemeanours.
In our country, police crimes exist. When police objectives are pursued by unethical means, public support may end. Politicisation of the police is one of the major causes of the misuse of the power of police officials. Police officials behave like ‘dons’.
According to the Police Order 2002, police isn’t a force but a service.
The public has lost trust in the police. They feel afraid to even report a crime. This is an awful state of affairs. Behaviour of the police is arrogant and unethical at most levels. There is a dire need to bring the trust back and work on proper reforms of police; otherwise, there are chances that the conflict between the police and citizens would be increased.
A perception is built in Pakistan that policing is characterised by torture, illegal arrest and detention, brutality, partiality, corruption and abuse of the due process
In our country, nobody wants to trust anyone in authority. Wherever we look, there are deceitful politicians, corrupt and dishonest police officers, crooked government servants, yellow journalists, media tycoons with double standards, greedy energy companies, and uncontrollable security services. In such circumstances, how can we believe that the police can behave positively with the public?
One thing more: the public is also insincere, disloyal and liar. But we always blame the police for their negative behaviour. So there is a need to bring reforms for the behavioural development of the public as well.
All police officials are not corrupt or bad people. They try their level best to behave well and work with honesty for resolving issues of citizens. Remember that when police officials put the badge on their uniform every morning, they do not have the certainty to come home at night to take it off.
It has become essential to develop trust in the police. For that, first, the government needs to bring practical and result-oriented reforms in the institution of police. Police officials work 24 hours, and after such a hectic day, they are stressed, and the ultimate victim of their stress is the common man. Police is an institution, but it has never been considered as an institution in Pakistan. It is called the hub of corruption. Corruption and bribery are prevalent in the police department. Most police stations are in an awful condition; there is a low ratio of police staff to public; there are inadequate medical facilities for police officials, and low quality educational institutions for their children; there is a lack of financial resources; and there is politicisation of the police. These are some of the major areas to be reformed for the betterment of the system. If the government works on these police-related issues, there would be a positive change in their behaviour as well as their working style.
It is very easy to blame and abuse the police, but we never realise that the police have to deal with criminals all the time. Spending so much time with criminals, there is the probability that their behaviour would become harsh and rigid. Different sociological and psychological researches show that our behaviour is developed by our social interactions.
What is required for the police to have the public trust them again? For that, the government is required to induct more officials in accordance with the appropriate ratio of the population. It is mandatory to provide ethical and moral training to police officials. In Pakistan, physical training has more importance than a mental or an ethical one. Now the government must also provide them the props of psychological, moral and ethical training.
I can simply say: ‘hire character, train skills’. There is another important aspect of police reforms and trust building, and that is to fire incompetent and crooked police officers. It is a request to the authorities to make the police an institution to serve the public.
The writer is a Ph.D. Scholar in Media and Crime, CSS Coach and author of books on international relations, criminology and gender studies