By: Zeeshan Haider
I was tasked by a broadcaster to produce a documentary on the cultural transformation of the police station. In those days, the crime rate in Punjab had skyrocketed. The snake of lawlessness had spread its wings to four hundred people every day. In the eyes of the police, the position of the police was declining day by day. For the Punjab administration and senior police officials, the crime rate has increased and the people’s hatred for the police has become a headache. Use various tricks to erase the stain of police station culture. Democratic and undemocratic governments have been using police officers as seals on the carpet of politics and have made no attempt to uproot this rotten system. Every government has ruthlessly used the police to intimidate the people and their political rivals and this term like police station culture has been embedded in the justice system day by day and our system has become poisoned day by day. Some political leaders and our own bureaucracy have made headlines that have not been compensated to date and the people are still suffering the consequences.
In preparing the documentary program on Police Station Culture, I want to highlight each and every aspect to discuss and examine the toxic motives that lead to this term. By adjudging the sinner as innocent and the innocent as sinner, such as macro-acts, playing with justice, difficulties in the investigation process, political influence, the grip of powerful mafia on government machinery, lack of funds, the problem of duty hours and police departments factors such as slow progress, registration of false cases were the main reasons for police culture. While the people had a lot of grievances against the police, the police also had a lot of grievances against this rotten and rotten system, the government, the media, the judiciary, and the people which were never discussed in public circles, media, and government houses. While Rakim made public complaints about policing and public abuse part of his documentary program or highlighted the problems of police personnel there, the day-to-day problems faced by officers ranging from a constable to a DIG rank were also highlighted in his program. When the problems of the police personnel were put to the test of reality, such heartbreaking incidents were heard that neither the media nor the people and the ruling circles reached the bottom. After learning about the police system, Raqim Al-Huroof wrote numerous articles and tried to convey the real facts to the people and it was his duty to convey those facts to the people and government houses. Veiled recently, a few well-educated ASIs and sub-inspector level officers of the police department wrote me a letter, the gist of which is as follows: The promotion system of officers and constables from constable to inspector rank in Punjab police is very slow. The Assistant Sub-Inspectors recruited through the Punjab Public Service Commission were of the view that ASIs recruited in Punjab in 2003 were promoted as Sub-Inspectors in 2007 and as A in 2009. Despite 11 years of SI recruitment, they are deprived of promotion because the previous Punjab government made the process of development of junior employees more complicated and difficult. Surprisingly, the majority of those recruited in 2009 are MA and M.Phil. They are frustrated and remorseful when they are recruited in the police. The majority of the recruits in 2009 are those who have been instrumental in washing away the ugly stains on Punjab Police such as rudeness, immorality, bribery and bridging the gap between the public and the police department for centuries. I have played a pivotal role. There are intelligent and capable boys who have become the need of the department with their professionalism in police stations and office matters. Police stations are the basic unit of the justice provider and the ASI level investigating officer is the most important officer in any police station but unfortunately, the citizens themselves and the justice providers feel themselves inferior, deprived and they are suffering from injustice. In such a situation, what kind of justice will these people give to others? Surely, they will be treated with harsh words and harsh accents. A closer look at the promotion policy system of the four provinces reveals the fact that the promotion policy of constable to inspector level personnel in Punjab is extremely slow. Similarly, the promotion system of Sindh province is also slightly better than that of Punjab. There was a time when a young ASI recruit could easily reach the rank of DIG but the previous government of Punjab passed several orders in 2013 and 2014. As a result, the promotion of these junior officers was stopped and they were deprived of promotion and sub-inspectors and inspectors were recruited directly, which is exploiting the personnel from constable to inspector. Tehsil, District, and the management and system of police offices up to divisional level is efficiently streamlined by these educated youth. In some cases, even our PSP officers are indebted to them. Police in every district across Pakistan is active on social media, uploading the performance of their respective districts daily on Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, which is closing the gap between the people and the police. Has about 600,000 followers on Facebook and about 6,000 on Twitter. Sargodha police have the most followers in Pakistan and the credit goes to Safdar Iqbal and Abid Hussain. Both of them are highly educated. One is M.A.L.L.B. and the other is M.Phil. Criminology. Has played a significant role in washing away the ugly stain on the police to date but these youngsters have been waiting for development for years despite their higher education. Similarly, many youngsters across Punjab have completed MAM in recent days. A police sub-inspector holds a Ph.D. degree and is the only Punjab police Ph.D. degree holder. Our present government has reached the houses of power by raising the slogan of change. Imran Khan used to announce in his political meetings to fix the Punjab police system, free the police from political interference, and implement reforms in it. Reforms were his special agenda. Legislation needs time to make the police system better and more efficient
IG Punjab Inam Ghani, since taking over the charge of IG Punjab, has introduced significant reforms in the police which have significantly reduced the crime rate in Punjab. It is hoped that he will address the growing malice among the employees. And take steps to end the sense of deprivation and put compassion on the shoulders of our subordinates and take concrete steps to make the development system easier for junior employees and officers in Punjab. The distance between rankers and CSP officers is also the biggest obstacle to police performance. It is universal truth that Ranker police officers and policemen become inferior. However, fieldwork is done from constable to inspector level officials. Until the problems of lower level police officials and officers are solved, the change of police will be just a dream.