By Amir Zia
The News
September 30, 2013
Until the police force is free from political interference and can work independently, all operations and crackdowns on criminals and terrorists will remain symbolic and meaningless
When Shahid Hayat Khan took charge as additional inspector general of police in Karachi on September 12 in the wake of the massive reshuffle of the Sindh Police by the provincial government, he became the fifth officer to hold this highly politicized, but coveted slot in a period of less than nine months.
Before Khan’s appointment as Additional IG Karachi, only one out of his four predecessors managed to last in this office for six months. This lucky officer was Iqbal Mehmood, who held this position from mid-Sept 2012 to mid-March 2013. But when Mehmood was again brought on the same slot after a five-week break – during which Ghulam Shabbir Shaikh held this position – his stint barely lasted eight weeks (April 23 to mid-June). Ghulam Qadir Thebo, who followed Mehmood, could survive in this position for only three months.
Ten officers have come and gone in the position of IG Sindh in less than six years. This means that the average lifespan on the top slot in the Sindh police force is less than seven months.
The other senior cadre positions in the Sindh Police – from deputy inspectors general to assistant superintendents – have similar short terms – both in the rural and urban areas. This stands in violation of the Police Order 2002, which says that cadre appointments should be for a three-year period. But our elected representatives are hardly fond of this police order and have already diluted it through a series of legislations. In fact, the 19th century colonial-era police system has been brought back by our chosen ones.
The situation of the non-cadre police officials, especially the station house officer (SHO) – is even worse. Here, according to senior police officials, the average term lasts barely two months.
Police officials have to perform a high-wire act not just to get key appointments, but also to maintain them under the PPP-led provincial government, which has been running the show here since early 2008 and has successfully managed to distort and destroy the system. Background interviews conducted with senior officials reveal that there remain only two options to get a position or survive in the Sindh Police under the people’s rule; first, through political connections and displaying and pledging loyalty to the elected masters and second, by paying them outright bribes. No wonder police stations are auctioned and sold and only those officers are selected for important assignments who serve their political mentors or are willing to pay the price in cash or kind. For upright and honest police officers options stand limited. Either you compromise or get sidelined. Senior police officials just don’t have to meet demands of the chief minister or the provincial home minister, but any lawmaker belonging to the ruling party worth his salt manages to interfere in department’s internal matters as well as policing.
Most PPP ministers and elected representatives even want SHOs of their choice in their areas, confides a former inspector general of police. Demands such as freeing, favouring and protecting criminals – from the dark alleys of Lyari in Karachi to the desolate wilderness of Dadu – remains an ongoing process and a favourite pastime of many of our elected representatives.
The irony for many police officials – themselves notorious for extracting bribes – is that they have to literally pay weekly or monthly sweeteners in cash to some of the PPP’s provincial lawmakers and local leaders to stay in their good books. According a PPP contact, some ward-level presidents of the party now demand gifts such as a car or motorcycle from SPs and DIGs of their respective areas.
This one may call a classical case of a predator becoming a victim – the ‘perfect revenge’ of democracy from its onetime tormentors.
But on a serious note, the people’s rule in Sindh has further eroded the credibility of the police and dragged it deeper into the pit of corruption and inefficiency. From the process of police recruitments to that of transfers – everything has become highly politicised under the PPP’s rule. “The police have directly become part of the nexus that exists between politics and crime”, said a senior serving police officer, requesting anonymity. “It has now become a force that is part of the problem rather than an institution focused on beating crime. The morale of the force is down and it is steeped in corruption.”
Many of the reforms initiated under the former military-led rule, including the selection of lower cadre officials through the public service commission, have been scrapped by the elected government. Instead of encouraging merit, they want to dole out government jobs to favourites or simply raise money for themselves by selling them to the highest bidder.
And obviously when a police officer has to pay hundreds of thousands of rupees in bribes to political bosses, his first desire is to get this ‘investment’ back in the shortest span of time along with profit so he can bid for the next position. This has introduced a constant atmosphere of uncertainty and adhocism in the police force and wrecked its morale.
This kind of corruption and inefficiency was hardly expected from a party that once was led by Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. But this is a different day and age and a different party.
In the complex world of Sindh politics, where crime and politics go hand-in-hand and all the major political parties remain deeply involved in patronising crime and criminals, sponsoring killers, kidnappers, extortionists, and encroachers’ mafias, this is just another twist. It also casts shadows on the much-publicised operation in Karachi and establishment of rule of the law in the province.
Until the police force is free from political interference and can work independently, all operations and crackdowns on criminals and terrorists will remain symbolic and meaningless. The reshuffle of police officers would never do the trick until the rulers address the structural flaws in the police department and introduce reforms.
A small, but necessary step in this direction would be to make appointments for a fixed period of three years on both cadre and non-cadre positions – at least up to the SHO level. The officer should only be removed if found involved in misconduct, corruption or violation of law. And once removed after an independent inquiry, they should not be reinstated on any other position for a fixed term – depending on the gravity of the offence.
There is also a need to create an independent bipartisan commission to keep a check on the conduct of the force to ensure that it acts within the framework of law.
The recruitment and training process of the force also needs a major overhaul to ensure merit and efficiency. Today, police training – based on the 19th century colonial-era manual – has become a joke as many recruits manage to avoid it by paying bribes. Even positions in its examinations are doled out on recommendation or payments of hefty amounts of bribe. These corrupt practices need to be done away with. Instead, modern investigation and policing methods should be introduced to meet the current law and order challenges.
But more importantly, the police department needs sweeping reforms and fresh legislation where necessary which must include revising the pay scale of the force. A force that offers only peanuts as salaries to its low and mid-ranking members is bound to indulge in corruption and abuse of authority.
In any civilian setup, the police remain the vanguard in fighting crime. Its officers and men need the confidence that they can stand for the law without the fear of being victimised by their political bosses. They need to take pride in their uniform and be able hold the rich and the powerful accountable if they violate the law – from breaking a traffic rule to any bigger offence.
If our rulers are sincere about bringing peace and fighting crime, let’s make ‘freeing the police’ from the clutches of the politicians a top priority. This will be a step forward.
The News
September 30, 2013
Until the police force is free from political interference and can work independently, all operations and crackdowns on criminals and terrorists will remain symbolic and meaningless
When Shahid Hayat Khan took charge as additional inspector general of police in Karachi on September 12 in the wake of the massive reshuffle of the Sindh Police by the provincial government, he became the fifth officer to hold this highly politicized, but coveted slot in a period of less than nine months.
Before Khan’s appointment as Additional IG Karachi, only one out of his four predecessors managed to last in this office for six months. This lucky officer was Iqbal Mehmood, who held this position from mid-Sept 2012 to mid-March 2013. But when Mehmood was again brought on the same slot after a five-week break – during which Ghulam Shabbir Shaikh held this position – his stint barely lasted eight weeks (April 23 to mid-June). Ghulam Qadir Thebo, who followed Mehmood, could survive in this position for only three months.
Ten officers have come and gone in the position of IG Sindh in less than six years. This means that the average lifespan on the top slot in the Sindh police force is less than seven months.
The other senior cadre positions in the Sindh Police – from deputy inspectors general to assistant superintendents – have similar short terms – both in the rural and urban areas. This stands in violation of the Police Order 2002, which says that cadre appointments should be for a three-year period. But our elected representatives are hardly fond of this police order and have already diluted it through a series of legislations. In fact, the 19th century colonial-era police system has been brought back by our chosen ones.
The situation of the non-cadre police officials, especially the station house officer (SHO) – is even worse. Here, according to senior police officials, the average term lasts barely two months.
Police officials have to perform a high-wire act not just to get key appointments, but also to maintain them under the PPP-led provincial government, which has been running the show here since early 2008 and has successfully managed to distort and destroy the system. Background interviews conducted with senior officials reveal that there remain only two options to get a position or survive in the Sindh Police under the people’s rule; first, through political connections and displaying and pledging loyalty to the elected masters and second, by paying them outright bribes. No wonder police stations are auctioned and sold and only those officers are selected for important assignments who serve their political mentors or are willing to pay the price in cash or kind. For upright and honest police officers options stand limited. Either you compromise or get sidelined. Senior police officials just don’t have to meet demands of the chief minister or the provincial home minister, but any lawmaker belonging to the ruling party worth his salt manages to interfere in department’s internal matters as well as policing.
Most PPP ministers and elected representatives even want SHOs of their choice in their areas, confides a former inspector general of police. Demands such as freeing, favouring and protecting criminals – from the dark alleys of Lyari in Karachi to the desolate wilderness of Dadu – remains an ongoing process and a favourite pastime of many of our elected representatives.
The irony for many police officials – themselves notorious for extracting bribes – is that they have to literally pay weekly or monthly sweeteners in cash to some of the PPP’s provincial lawmakers and local leaders to stay in their good books. According a PPP contact, some ward-level presidents of the party now demand gifts such as a car or motorcycle from SPs and DIGs of their respective areas.
This one may call a classical case of a predator becoming a victim – the ‘perfect revenge’ of democracy from its onetime tormentors.
But on a serious note, the people’s rule in Sindh has further eroded the credibility of the police and dragged it deeper into the pit of corruption and inefficiency. From the process of police recruitments to that of transfers – everything has become highly politicised under the PPP’s rule. “The police have directly become part of the nexus that exists between politics and crime”, said a senior serving police officer, requesting anonymity. “It has now become a force that is part of the problem rather than an institution focused on beating crime. The morale of the force is down and it is steeped in corruption.”
Many of the reforms initiated under the former military-led rule, including the selection of lower cadre officials through the public service commission, have been scrapped by the elected government. Instead of encouraging merit, they want to dole out government jobs to favourites or simply raise money for themselves by selling them to the highest bidder.
And obviously when a police officer has to pay hundreds of thousands of rupees in bribes to political bosses, his first desire is to get this ‘investment’ back in the shortest span of time along with profit so he can bid for the next position. This has introduced a constant atmosphere of uncertainty and adhocism in the police force and wrecked its morale.
This kind of corruption and inefficiency was hardly expected from a party that once was led by Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. But this is a different day and age and a different party.
In the complex world of Sindh politics, where crime and politics go hand-in-hand and all the major political parties remain deeply involved in patronising crime and criminals, sponsoring killers, kidnappers, extortionists, and encroachers’ mafias, this is just another twist. It also casts shadows on the much-publicised operation in Karachi and establishment of rule of the law in the province.
Until the police force is free from political interference and can work independently, all operations and crackdowns on criminals and terrorists will remain symbolic and meaningless. The reshuffle of police officers would never do the trick until the rulers address the structural flaws in the police department and introduce reforms.
A small, but necessary step in this direction would be to make appointments for a fixed period of three years on both cadre and non-cadre positions – at least up to the SHO level. The officer should only be removed if found involved in misconduct, corruption or violation of law. And once removed after an independent inquiry, they should not be reinstated on any other position for a fixed term – depending on the gravity of the offence.
There is also a need to create an independent bipartisan commission to keep a check on the conduct of the force to ensure that it acts within the framework of law.
The recruitment and training process of the force also needs a major overhaul to ensure merit and efficiency. Today, police training – based on the 19th century colonial-era manual – has become a joke as many recruits manage to avoid it by paying bribes. Even positions in its examinations are doled out on recommendation or payments of hefty amounts of bribe. These corrupt practices need to be done away with. Instead, modern investigation and policing methods should be introduced to meet the current law and order challenges.
But more importantly, the police department needs sweeping reforms and fresh legislation where necessary which must include revising the pay scale of the force. A force that offers only peanuts as salaries to its low and mid-ranking members is bound to indulge in corruption and abuse of authority.
In any civilian setup, the police remain the vanguard in fighting crime. Its officers and men need the confidence that they can stand for the law without the fear of being victimised by their political bosses. They need to take pride in their uniform and be able hold the rich and the powerful accountable if they violate the law – from breaking a traffic rule to any bigger offence.
If our rulers are sincere about bringing peace and fighting crime, let’s make ‘freeing the police’ from the clutches of the politicians a top priority. This will be a step forward.
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