March 30, 2007	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 10, 1428

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

RAWALPINDI, March 29: Since mistrust in the police force is deeply embedded in society, bringing about an improvement in police behaviour is one of our biggest challenges, as police training in Pakistan is archaic in content and methodology that emphasises physical rather than mental training.

Dr Muhammad Shoaib Suddle, who has held several high-ranking positions in the police, and is currently the Director-General of the National Police Bureau (NPB), says the aspects of human resource development require urgent attention.

He suggested nine such measures while participating in a study, incorporated in a new publication of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), for reforming the police force in South Asia.

The measures are: 1) Enhancing critical capabilities of investigators. 2) Introducing and assimilating modern technology into the police organization. 3) Changing the culture of the organization. 4) Promoting sensitive and responsive policing. 5) Preventing human rights violations by the police. 6) Enhancing crowd management and riot control. 7) Effectively responding to incidents of violence against women. 8) Countering terrorism. 9) Fighting cyber crime.

Dr Suddle was of the view that the curricula of education and training institutions cover critical issues of human rights in the context of contemporary management, supervision, and law enforcement practices inadequately. The whole training paradigm requires a fundamental shift to equip policemen with the necessary knowledge and skills to meet new challenges, he said.

The NPB chief further suggests an efficient and credible performance-appraisal system linked with an adequate and transparent reward and punishment mechanism, which is critical to minimizing corruption.

He further said that historically the police in South Asia have suffered from a bad image, so that there is very little voluntary sharing of vital information by the public. Adopting measures that portray the police in a positive light and proactively address the causes of negative public attitudes is, therefore, integral to a comprehensive police reform strategy.

The principal reason for governmental neglect of police reforms in South Asia is not the lack of funds but the misuse of the police force for narrow partisan ends. If the rhetoric of good governance and rule of law is to turn into reality, the most important prerequisite is strong political will on the part of governments to transform their outmoded police outfits into modern service-delivery organizations. Unfortunately, the police are looked upon as the exploitative arm of the government.