Public image of the police can only be improved if the force is able to drastically change their performance
Pakistan’s armed forces rely on the Inter-Services Public Relations to prop up their image in the country; political parties have the support of television news channels and talk-show hosts to tidy up the way the public perceives them; but how effective are the public relation officers that are part of the police force in creating and upholding the image of a trustworthy and helpful police officer?
Highly ineffective, according to the Human Rights Watch report released at the end of September. The report states that "the common perception is that the police will demand bribes before taking a complaint," and that complainants are often subjected to abusive behaviour and falsely accused of the crime. To drive the point home, the report points out that even though crime is rampant in Pakistan, crime rates are low, because people are too afraid of the police to report crimes.
Saroop Ijaz, the Pakistan researcher for Human Rights Watch, explains that the image problem the police force faces is a result of the lack of accountability and independence. He points out that while public perception of the police needs to drastically improve, it is also the product, i.e., the police itself that needs to better itself. "Police officers of all cadres face pressure from the top to favour one side over the other," says Ijaz. "If this lack of independence and a consequent lack of accountability continues, how can policing and consequently the image of the police improve?"
"One of the reasons the policing system in Pakistan is so weak is because it was designed in the aftermath of the ‘Mutiny’ of 1857, its purpose was not to provide a public service, but to keep citizens, as well the force itself on a tight leash," explains Dr Shoaib Suddle, a leading police and justice sector reform specialist.
Even though the Police Act of 1861 was at least theoretically replaced with Police Order 2002, in practice the subculture of oppressive policing has continued to this day. Suddle tells TNS that "as long as the police is employed to intimidate opponents or win elections, the public cannot have confidence in the ‘frightening’ police."
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One thing to note, however, is that although the perception of the police remains far from positive across the country, some provinces perform their policing duties, and hence brand their police force better than others.
"The police in NWFP has always commanded respect from the public," claims Hassan Abbas, a former police official and a professor at National Defense University.
Of late, there is a heightened recognition for the police force in KP, firstly because the police there also have to deal with terrorism and bombings and, secondly, because KP’s political leadership has strictly discouraged politicians from interfering with police functioning. This gives police officers independence to make their own decisions and, hence, they are able to serve the public better and build a more positive image.
"The most recent police reforms have imposed checks and balances on us and have made transfers of police officers very difficult, hence increasing independence and accountability," says Abbas Majeed, SSP Operations Peshawar. Majeed tells TNS that the performance and image of the KP police force is better than the other three provinces because of these reforms as well as the "respectful culture of KP".
This idea of cultural factors playing a part in the police force having a trustworthy and credible image also plays a part in Balochistan. Ghazzanfar Shah, a police superintendent based in Quetta, explains that the police system in Balochistan works on the basis of tribal linkages, ethnicities and sects. "This has a positive impact because policemen are often afraid of angering entire tribes so they don’t partake in unjustly abusing or torturing complainants or suspects. But it also has a negative impact because if your SHO is from an opposing tribe, you have no chance of being awarded justice, regardless of whether or not you were on the correct side of the law," says Shah.
The image of Balochistan’s police force is also different from that of other provinces because only six per cent of the province falls under the jurisdiction of the police. The rest of the region is looked after by the Frontier Corps and the Levies, and "in comparison to them the police appears to be much friendlier, cooperative and more accessible," says Shah.
Lastly, he adds that the image of policemen in Balochistan has improved ever since the quality of officers in high positions has improved. "There is an obvious trickle-down effect," says Shah.
This problem of the "trickle-down effect" may be the exact issue that Punjab’s police faces while maintaining law and order, and consequently their image. According to Ijaz, police in Punjab may appear more hostile than their counterparts in other provinces because the political government in Punjab is the most powerful.
He explains that since the Inspector General (IG) literally serves at the will of chief minister, the performance of every officer under the IG is negatively impacted. Because of the trickle-down effect every officer then takes liberties in their positions and doesn’t follow the order of law.
However, Attiya Jaffri, an inspector stationed in Multan, says that things are changing in Punjab. "Media intervention has forced the police officers to behave better because we are now always in the public eye," she says. Moreover, she tells TNS that their seniors now repeatedly tell junior officers that they do not want to receive a single complaint against their attitudes and behaviour.
"When two people come to the police with a case, only one is right and the person who is wrong will always think that the police is favouring the opposing party," says Jaffri. "The relationship between the public and the police can be improved but we must remember that one party will always be unhappy and perceive us in a negative light."
Nevertheless, there is hope. Recently, a television and radio campaign asked the public to recognise the sacrifices of policemen and be kinder to them. "This proves that the police is cognizant of the fact that they need public support to improve their performance," says professor Abbas. The catch-22 in this situation is that an improved public image will undoubtedly help the police force to serve the public better, and yet this image can only be created and sustained if the force is able to drastically improve their calibre.