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September 29, 2005
Coming together
To benefit police procedures in honour killings an interactive seminar between the Sindh and Northamptonshire Police, UK was held recently, writes Erum Haider
The British Council, in collaboration with Northamptonshire Police, UK, and Sindh Police, recently held a three-day workshop concerning the role of the police in honour killings. The interactive workshop was a follow-up to the feedback from a previous training, held in January 2005.
Although the material was designed specifically to benefit police procedures in honour killings, the role of civil society organizations, specifically the media and NGOs, was emphasized. The workshop, therefore, included several members from various women NGOs, advocates, journalists and a representative from the Criminology Department at Karachi University.
The Internet edition of the local newspapers has, in recent years, alerted expatriate communities about the issue of honour killings in Pakistan. To a lesser extent, instances of honour killings in expatriate communities has also made Pakistanis all over the world feel the need to deal with this violent crime against women.
Inam Hussain, Sector Commander of the Northamptonshire Police is one such expatriate. He and Larry Ennis, Director of Investigation at the Northamptonshire Police, facilitated the previous programme. According to him, the workshops held in January were more focused on creating awareness about the situation, and helping the various participating institutions understand the situation from multiple perspectives.
The sessions held, concentrated on police investigative techniques, and problems within the country’s administration that prevent adequate management of these crimes. Another important aspect involving the police was trying to communicate to the affected communities, victims and criminals that the police are taking an active role in tackling the problem.
The programme consisted of a presentation of cases from the UK, and a thorough understanding of how the police deal with these crimes, including aggregation of forensic evidence and reporting. The second part of the programme consisted of an interactive session where civil society groups such as the media and NGOs, and the police representatives, were given identical cases and required to devise a plan of action to deal with the crime. This provided a platform for institutions to collaborate on ideas and information, as well as share their individual experiences.
More importantly, the interactive sessions highlighted the misunderstandings on both sides, and stressed the need for greater understanding and cooperation between these institutions — all of whom were ultimately trying to battle the same problem. The facilitators expressed satisfaction at the fact that there was an open discussion and debate between representatives, and participants, addressed issues of corruption and mismanagement not just at the administrative level, but also within the police force itself.
Ultimately, both Ennis and Khan hoped to see the police taking on a more responsible role as far as reporting of such cases, and supporting the victims is concerned. Somewhat paradoxically, they expected the number of cases of honour killings to go up, because that would mean that more cases were being reported and fewer were going unnoticed by the local and international community. Similarly, they hoped that the media would play a more responsible and supportive role, and make it clear to the public that an increase in reported cases is a sign of success, and not failure, on the part of the police in that district or area.
Domestic violence in certain parts of the UK, for example, saw an increase in the number of reported cases after a change in policy within law enforcement agencies. Previously, the victim would call up the police centre and report a case of domestic violence, but on investigation at the residence, the victim would choose not to complain in the presence of the offender. In which case, the police would not make the arrest, or report the case as one of domestic violence.
However, recently if the victim appears to have been physically abused, the spouse is arrested and taken into custody regardless of whether the victim complains or not. Subsequently, reporting by victims increased and hence the increase in the number of such incidents, which were picked up by the press. According to Ennis, this would normally reflect badly on the police force within that area, which is why it is important that the police make the community and the media aware of the fact that an increase in numbers can actually be taken as a positive thing.
Another similar situation occurred when hate crimes were reported whenever the victim perceived him or herself as an object of racial hatred, whether or not the police officer investigating the complaint felt that it merited a report. Ennis and Khan believe that the police are capable of proving themselves responsible, courteous, dedicated and honest caretakers of the community, and of gaining the trust of the public.
One inescapable truth that divided the training and theory from experience was the fact that the face of civil society, of legislation, and of government is starkly different in Pakistan as compared to the UK.
The UK’s democratic, secular political culture greatly facilitates the stringent check that the police has on crimes against women. Participants pointed out time and again that the cost of DNA testing in rape cases, coupled with a tight police budget, was a major hurdle in investigative and legal processes.
However, at the end of the day, the biggest and most unavoidable problem was the absence of democratic culture in society. Participants and facilitators agreed that while it is possible for changes to be brought about at local, or individual levels to combat corruption and mismanagement, significant changes in values or the endorsement of honour killings are unlikely unless democracy is restored at the centre.
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