THE organisational culture of the police is shaped to a large extent by the criminal justice system that defines it. Policing that is saddled by the legacy of colonialism is not without its challenges. Colonial governments rested on two pillars to survive and perpetuate their rule: maintenance of law and order to uphold the government’s authority, and the collection of revenue. Colonial policing was designed around these two principles and was never meant to deliver public service. In all endeavours to reform the police, one must not forget that for the new crop to take root, the soil has to be burnt to eliminate all traces of the diseased old roots.

Policing culture in our country remains colonial in character. Without a complete overhaul, isolated efforts to transform it into a service-delivery system will ultimately weaken it. In such cases most problems with policing systems are found at the level of police-community interaction. The front-line, or street-level, bureaucracy is the real face of the police in any country. Their behaviour reflects the organisational/hierarchical nature of the system. There is often a need for course correction at all levels.

Globally, advanced police cultures, both completely new ones and those that evolved through trial and error, put their systems under the microscope. They noted how their police culture was inherently different from the one in other countries; they also analysed the driving force behind their policing culture and the challenges therein.

Policing has gradually evolved from a function of social peacekeeping to a profession. Professions are defined by their capability to deliver public service, to have a shared code among those who practise it and to possess specialised knowledge. Since policing is a practical enterprise, as opposed to a deliberative enterprise like philosophy or theology, the foundation must rest upon public service delivery. It also transpires that the relationship between general ethical theory and practical decision-making in police work is very complex and not linear. It requires proper judgement rather than deductive inferences.

In Pakistan, the police culture remains colonial.

One area of concentration of democratic policing across the globe is organisational culture and ethics. Topics such as police authority, role morality, affirmative action, loyalty, privacy, coercion and deception, with all their complexities, have been debated and analysed both within and outside the force.

A major theme of the discussion on police ethics revolves around the way officers should conduct themselves. The pressures they face in the discharge of their duties must be frankly debated; they are not mere observers but actors who make choices and affect outcomes. There should be an effort to cultivate a culture where police officers do not confuse the law with morality.

Law unlike morality deals with conduct and not with character and is jurisdictionally limited. Therefore police ethics are of a distinctive type.

Police authority is an area which must grow out of political, legal and public debates. Since it is an extension of state authority, it must bear the onus when it comes to restricting the freedom of citizens. Ideally, this authority must flow out of a knowledge of the law, professional expertise and the law’s application. As a representative of the state, the only legitimate user of coercive force is the police. Hence, in a democratic country, if the rules of business for restricting freedom are not laid down after a thorough debate, police conduct will always be brought into question.

Modern policing trends demand that compliance by the police with professional and personal ethics is essential for efficient public service.

The role of the police in the modern world is structured around obligations, responsibilities, rights and privileges. Their core functions are designed according to security management, crime fighting and social service activities. It is not about making the force responsible for everything under the sun.

Roles have been rationalised and moderated where there is a need for coercive intervention. Worldwide the concept of policing has undergone a transformation with the role of the police now being viewed in the context of a peaceful order.

There is a realisation that because the police have such close interaction with the community, the two cannot be at daggers drawn — the role of the police as peacekeeper and peace builder becomes even more crucial here. This makes sense when we consider that over half of actual police work involves mediation and ensuring peace in society.

It is high time to make a course correction in the policing culture in Pakistan, and to adapt to the new role.

The writer is a police officer.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2021