Strong will needed to change police culture: Motorway IGP

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Arshad Dogar
NATIONAL Highways and Motorway Police IGP Dr Wasim Kausar has said a strong will is needed to bring about a cultural transformation in district police.

Talking exclusively to The News on Tuesday, the IG NH&MP said that it might be pointed out that apart from key policy decisions, this change would require a sustainable financial backup in order to ensure quality in policing as stated by Sir Robert Peele in his address to the British Parliament on Police Reforms in 1907. “The quality of policing is directly proportional to the financial aspects of policing. It will be difficult to get a good police without paying for it”.

The IG said the frequently asked question that Pakistan Motorway Police model could be replicated in the district police would require a detailed research paper. However, he said it might be pointed out that order in a society depended upon a multiplicity of interacting forces which were complex. It depends upon the distribution of resources, images of relative deprivation, inequities and injustice, coercion, oppression, and greed. It depends upon the inculcation of values of comfort, convenience, dignity and safety of others. These values depend upon family, education and environment and neighbourhood pressures with expectations of good behaviour.

Dr. Wasim Kausar said that common perception about police and policing in Pakistan was hopelessly dismal where corruption had become almost a disease in Pakistan affecting every aspect of our political, social and economic sectors. Corruption in the police stands out like a sore thumb and its conspicuousness is due to its criticality and impact on good governance of the country and the negative general public view or impression it is bound to create.

Dr Wasim Kauser said the country had been contending with the issue of corruption for the last several decades but its efforts could best be labeled as “fire fighting” attempts at curbing public sector corruption.

The IG NH&MP said that not very long ago the traffic culture on the highways of Pakistan was characterized by a contemptuous disregard for traffic rules, an almost non-existent enforcement apparatus, and a very high ratio of accidents.

Dr. Wasim calculated that every year 700 people lost their precious lives and another 75000 received injuries in road accidents. This means a staggering 19 deaths and 205 injuries per day. The response of the Government of Pakistan to all this is swift and sweeping, and that is the establishment of National Highways & Motorway Police, which is specifically tasked to rectify the situation.

Fortunately, Pakistan’s Motorway Police have emerged as a model and an exemplar of a corruption free police, the IG claimed and said that NH&MP had earned the respect and confidence of the public within a short span of time. It is commonly believed and supported by studies that the Motorway Police is actually a graft free police force created as a result of cultural transformation in policing. Seventy per cent of the research on policing in the world encompasses police culture and its effect on police conduct.

The success story of Pakistan Motorway Police revolves around the cultural transformation in police attitude by ensuring qualitative improvement in the training ecology and provision of compatible work station ecology.

The IG further said case studies on police training in Pakistan revealed that our training institutions had been producing “Reactive” police officers due to a negative training environment. A comprehensive strategy was devised to provide positive training environment for the Motorway Police officers. Dr Wasim Kauser further said it would be counterproductive to give high profile training to an officer without provision of compatible work station ecology.

He said it was erroneous to think that repressive or oppressive tactics could control crime and restore order to the society.

These are reactive methods of policing. Proactive policing is comprised of preventive measures and community participation to curb crime. Policeman is not only a law enforcer but is also a peace officer who is expected to resolve conflicts between people. In this manner, the police officer becomes a friend of the people who receives respect and participation from them. His task, thus, becomes easier, creative, interesting and meaningful.

He said Pakistan entered into the era of motorways in the year 1997. It was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that motorways were constructed. Scheme of policing these high speed motorways was approved in May 1997. The then I.G. was assigned to raise a modern, competent and efficient force to regulate law and order on this road.

The manpower for this newly raised force was taken on deputation from all the provincial police forces. Obviously no competent member is given away to others. So, a comprehensive and professional oriented training was imparted to these new officers under the direct supervision of senior officers, which also included British trainers.

He said that on 26th November 1997, this force started working. After six months, the British trainers paid a surprise visit to see the working of their trainees and were astonished to see the efficiency and output. They remarked “this force is working even better than British Police” which is indeed a great comment from a British Police Officer.

The success of Pakistan Motorway Police lies in its service oriented functions and assistance to about 1200 commuters in Pakistan each day. From organizational point of view, the most important factor is that this is an officer based organization which works in a shift of eight hours with a manageable span of control as per international standards.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=172764