90 per cent policemen undereducated, says report

Reforms not possible without changing thana culture, says panel

ISLAMABAD: It is estimated that almost 90 per cent personnel in the police force are undereducated and without power or authority, a report compiled by a committee constituted by the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat revealed.

The report titled ‘Addressing Maladministration in Police Stations’ stated that at present, personnel working as assistant sub inspectors or in lower positions, constituting 12 per cent of the force, hardly have any authority. While the remaining 88 per cent wither do not work or have no trust in their superiors.



The committee, formed in compliance with the apex court’s orders, after a thorough investigation concluded that it was not possible to reform police stations without bringing about changes in its culture in a holistic manner.

The report paints a gloomy picture of police stations across the country that are severely understaffed and under resourced.

It reveals that policemen are unable to fulfil their duties due to lack of training, influence of bigwigs, unaccountability, poor planning and failing to upgrade their technology to investigate crime scenes among others.

Registering FIRs

The committee in its findings pointed out that SHOs fear that registering every complaint might show a higher crime rate in their jurisdictions which could be used against them to prove their incompetence.

“On the other hand after registering the FIR, the relevant police officer, without ascertaining whether sufficient evidence is available, directly proceeds to arresting the nominated accused which is tantamount to abuse of authority and misconduct,” the report pointed out.



Financial constraints

It further highlights that the shortage of funds forces police personnel into corruption.

“Making money through illegal means is being practiced in an organised manner within neighbourhoods, proliferating crime and vice, particularly the functioning of wine shops, drug dens, and prostitution,” it underscored.

Crime scenes

The report also highlights that the lack of sufficient knowledge and proper training renders officials incapable of dealing with any crime scene.

According to the report, very little attention is paid to the preservation of crime scenes even in important cases. Most crime scenes are contaminated by police officers handling evidence with bare hands and have insufficient forensic tools to collect or preserve evidence.

Restructuring police force

While calling for restructuring the police force, the report concludes that though several committees have been formed in the past for police reforms but there has been no improvement in either performance or conduct.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2016.