Policing priorities

In the times we live in, law and order has obviously become a primary concern. But despite the schemes announced, the promises made, things seem to keep sliding from bad to worse.

Policing is in disarray and there is a complete lack of public confidence in the abilities of the force. What are the reasons for this, and what has gone wrong?

The answer may be simpler than we had thought. It seems to lie, to a very considerable extent, in the inability and unwillingness to persist with policies and the desire of officials posted in top positions to pursue plans of their own, rather than consolidating and building on those begun by their predecessors. In this thinking, based it seems on ego and a desire to show they are “best”, these officials emulate our politicians, with new governments abandoning work begun by the former. Notably, through the 1990s we were, as a result, left with half-built roads, incomplete irrigation channels and other absurdities.

The IGs posted to head the police in Islamabad appear to have acted in a similar way, with only a few of the initiatives introduced since 2000 surviving. Those that have collapsed or been disbanded, either as a result of changed policies by a new IG or an end to funding, include gender crime units, women’s police stations and peace committees. Given this background, there can be no assurance that the modern reporting sections now being set up, with US help, at a cost of Rs2.2 million each, will survive a change in police leadership.

This lack of continuity is disturbing. It is a major factor in the poor governance we see, and explains why so little seems to work out well. It cannot do so, given the limited time factors involved. This approach needs to change if we are to see an improvement in police performance, and better service for the many people who require this force in one matter or the other, at some point in their lives.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2013.