WEDNESDAY'S terrorist attack on a police rescue centre in Lahore as well as earlier incidents such as the Marriott bombing and the assault on the Sri Lankan cricket team are proof enough that the war on terror is no longer confined to the tribal areas or Swat. Our urban centres are now part and parcel of the conflict.

The battle is not being fought just between militants and the armed forces. The police have become the primary target in the settled areas, which is not altogether a new trend. Police officers, academies and stations have been targeted by militants in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Pakistan. In 2008, over 180 Pakistani policemen lost their lives and 426 were injured in incidents of terrorism. These incessant attacks against the police should not come as a surprise. The police uniform is seen by many as a symbol of the state. Anger against the state and the government is thus directed against the police.

As a civilian service the police cannot choose to live in fortified seclusion. The very nature of their duties involves open access and interaction with the general public. This makes them vulnerable to planned attacks. But despite this inbuilt susceptibility — or because of it — the repeated targeting of police offices should serve as a wake-up call for both the government and the force's senior leadership.Eliminating all chances of a terrorist attack may not be possible. The key, instead, lies in ascertaining why the police aren't a hard target for militants and how the extent of the havoc can be reduced. It is to be ensured that policemen are not sitting ducks and can defend themselves in a professional manner. There is no margin for error here for we are already embarked on a perilous course. Pakistan's various police forces need to enhance their capacity to prevent such incidents, improve post-incident response and revamp and augment their detection capability.

Collectively the police serve as the primary agency for establishing the writ of law and sending a message that the state is fully functional and no other force can replace it. They are mandated to maintain order in the street and assist citizens in times of distress. A weak police means a weak state. The prevailing security situation dictates that the people should be given star billing when it comes to resource allocation.

Our policymakers need to devise and adopt a clear, consistent and long-term plan regarding the police organisation. Such a strategy should accord the police organisation its due status among the country's law-enforcement agencies. It ought to be recognised as the leading investigation agency and primary preventative arm of the law. Budget outlays and political commitment should match the force's due status and colossal responsibility. A reasonable share of foreign aid inflows ought to be apportioned to this sector. The government must invest heavily in the police to augment their capability and make it commensurate with the enormity of the task at hand.

The terrorist groups operating in Pakistan are well organised and motivated, and as such there is need to establish specialised units dedicated to fighting this menace. At the same time regular police units must be modernised. It is imperative to sufficiently equip the police, train them, ensure their welfare, raise their morale, and provide them with the latest weapons and state-of-the-art technology. It is high time to embrace the latest surveillance equipment and techniques.

Ironically, police investigators have been denied easy access to cellphone data. From ordinary criminals to hardened terrorists, lawbreakers of every ilk frequently use mobile phones in furtherance of their activities. Yet police officers are seriously handicapped in tracking them down because of the unavailability of cellphone records. This explains, in part, the dismal performance of the so-called premier investigation agency of a state threatened by surging terrorism.

Forensic investigation is another fundamental area that has long been neglected. There isn't even a basic DNA forensic laboratory in any province. Not a single police force has a forensic pathologist on its rolls. Inadequately trained and unsupervised chemical examiners contaminate crucial evidence even in high-profile homicide cases. Almost all our forensic laboratories have to make do with obsolete equipment. When the world has moved on to electrostatic detection apparatus and digital comparison microscopes we still use ordinary magnifying glasses to conduct the most complicated of forensic examinations.

In order to build our detection capacity we need to increase our reliance on forensic evidence. This will only be possible if police officers are trained in this field and forensic science laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. Serious and focused commitment from the government is required on this count.

Effective intelligence gathering is a prerequisite for counter-terrorism measures. The police's Special Branch used to be the eyes and ears of provincial governments for many years. Chief ministers used to begin their day with the head of the Special Branch presenting a well-prepared and objective assessment of the political and law and order situations. Instead of strengthening and bolstering this extremely useful intelligence-gathering institution, it has been reduced to a third-rate unit. The Special Branch can be still be turned into a valuable asset if it receives a little more attention and patronage from chief ministers.

We should acknowledge the services of policemen who lay down their lives in the call of duty. At the same time effectual steps must be taken to make the police a resourceful, capable and thoroughly professional organisation. Keeping in view the crucial role assigned to this vital state institution, we need to adopt a policy that frees the police of political interference and ensures meritocracy. Long-term strategies should take preference over short-term gains. Police officers of all ranks need to be sensitised vis-à-vis the level of the threat and the enormity of the task ahead.

The police have met tough challenges in the past. If properly equipped, adequately trained, ably led and suitably supported by the government, they can eliminate terrorism from the urban centres.

The writer is a barrister and senior superintendent of police in Sindh.

shaikhsp@yahoo.com