Community Engagement and Police Reforms in Pakistan

In Blog
April 20, 2021
Abdul Aziz
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Any sustainable change to take place, community engagement needs to be at the center of any policing reform in Pakistan. Policing in any society is at the core of the wellbeing of the community and a prosperous and safe neighbourhood is often a direct result of cooperation between the police and the community it serves.

Any sustainable change to take place, community engagement needs to be at the center of any policing reform in Pakistan. Policing in any society is at the core of the wellbeing of the community and a prosperous and safe neighbourhood is often a direct result of cooperation between the police and the community it serves. However, post-colonial Pakistan initially adopted colonial laws which directly affected the relationship of its citizenry and the police, creating a trust deficiency that continues to prevail today.

There are more than 430,000 police personnel in Pakistan, with around 800 PSP (Police Services of Pakistan) officers. Among the 430,000, more than 6,500 police officers have embraced martyrdom in the line of duty in trying to protect our community. Pakistani police’s sincerity in putting its lives at stake for its citizens despite being underfunded and under-resourced is there for everyone to see. Unfortunately, there have also been cases of negligence, mismanagement, and excessive use of force that have inevitably harmed the reputation of the police force and enhanced the trust deficit between police and the citizenry. There is a dire need to build that trust back.

One of the few ways to improve this trust deficit is to improve community engagement and indulge in exercises that build capacity. These changes can gravely improve the state of policing in Pakistan. But in order to enhance community engagement, it is important to understand what is the purpose of engaging the community and how best can it be achieved.

Community engagement, as the term suggests, is the theoretical idea that engagement between police and citizens is essential, it is the idea that the community must be involved and consulted in finding the best approaches to policing. The theoretical case for community engagement drives the idea that police need to be seen by the citizens as one of their own. This can result in greater community engagement which will substantially improve the police-community relationship and reduce the level of crime and disorder. While community engagement can take place at multiple levels, it is important to make its philosophy accessible at all levels to all constables/officers of the police. From neighbourhood issues like petty crimes to wider issues of national security, community engagement needs to be one of the central focuses.

While there are various theoretical benefits of community engagement that can be adopted by Pakistani police, it’s the implementation of it that is often an obstacle. The evidence of community engagement and its effect on policing has often been blurred by a lack of sufficient data. But a report that conducted research on the direct effects of engagement and how it affects policing in the United States of America made some noteworthy recommendations. It identified organisational commitment and cultural change as one the fundamentals; this is incredibly important especially in the aspect of Pakistan. The damage done by the colonial style of policing can only change if there is a change in the policing culture. Young officers being inducted need to be informed how the philosophy of policing includes engaging the community and treating them as equals. It is only in that instance that recommendations from the community will be given their due importance. Apart from this, as recommended by the report, the community engagement needs to be mainstreamed. It cannot remain a one-off program or be restricted to a division of the police.

Police in Pakistan need to be flexible in this two-way dialogue with the community. There is no single or all-encompassing approach either at the national or local level. ICT police has recently taken a great initiative of community dialogue and feedback to develop training program for its police cadres. The more dialogue and engagement take place, the more confidence and trust with the community is restored. This will inevitably lead to greater capacity building. Additionally, slowly but gradually police-community roles can be defined to bring greater clarity. While police in Pakistan are attempting to engage the community and a shift in that context is visible, for it to take effect at a larger level, it needs to be conducted at the core of the philosophy of policing.

The success of community engagement cannot be achieved in a short span. It is a long and tedious process and its success is dependent on multiple factors like the political will of policymakers and organisational and cultural change in the police. Moreover, even when the benefits of community engagement aren’t evident early on, it’s important to continue for any long-term benefit to show. Community engagement will only bear fruit when all issues that are hindering or affecting the proper implementation of it are identified and addressed effectively.

As a confidence-building measure, the police can start putting cameras on police officers investigating to promote accountability and build the community’s trust in policing. This will ensure the community that they will be dealt with fairly. This requires the government to increase police funding and grant the necessary funds to allow the police to take measures that improve the public image of the police. Another measure that can be taken is to record the audio of every single phone call made to police throughout Pakistan.

Regardless, Police forces across Pakistan must cooperate to ensure a sustained community engagement policy. And they need to be committed towards it without expecting an immediate improvement in the police-community relationship. The Police force can show its commitment by creating a system that benefits those who engage the public and create a serious accountability measure within. And while the task of improving the public image of police may take time, the door of it leads through community engagement.