Police top corruption perception: TI survey

Police, procurement, judiciary rank highest in corruption perceptions

The Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has once again placed the police at the top of the list of institutions perceived to be the most corrupt in the country, followed by the tender and procurement sector and then the judiciary, even as the findings point to a modest improvement in public perceptions compared to last year. According to a press release issued by TIP, the National Corruption Perception Survey is designed to assess public opinion on governance and corruption-related issues.

The latest edition surveyed 4,000 individuals, with 1,000 from each province, offering a nationwide snapshot of how citizens view corruption across state institutions.

The survey found that 24 per cent of respondents viewed the police as the most corrupt government department. Provincial breakdowns showed the highest perception of police corruption in Punjab at 34pc, followed by Balochistan at 22pc, Sindh at 21pc and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 20pc.

The police has consistently topped the corruption perception rankings in previous TIP surveys. However, this year's findings also highlighted a "notable" improvement in public perception of the police when compared to 2023.

Trailing the police was the tender and procurement sector, which 16pc of respondents identified as corrupt. Perceptions were highest in Balochistan at 23pc, followed by K-P at 18pc, Sindh at 14pc and Punjab at 9pc.

The judiciary ranked third, with 14pc of respondents perceiving it as corrupt, including the highest proportion in K-P at 18pc.