This Friday, the Punjab government removed Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), Umar Sheikh, for reasons still unclear. What was once supposed to be an initiative to depoliticise the police, in order to improve competency, is now a confusing debacle which consists of sporadic appointments based upon the random selection of officers who exist in a body that looks to have little structure. The need for the government to clarify the path that it is taking is imperative, especially when every decision made within the police seems to reflect how inefficient it really is.
Ghulam Mehmood Dogar, an officer for 27 years, has now assumed office as the CCPO and inherited the authorities’ hopes to eradicate the problems within the police. However, what fails to be understood is that the abrupt policy of sacking and replacing is not likely to work since a systematic and comprehensive plan for change is needed—one individual can only do so much. Complications like capacity, hierarchy, and a clear absence of political influence need to be resolved immediately. The government needs to trace patterns, create strategies keeping in mind the need for the body to be autonomous, and move towards swift implementation through taking practical steps for change. Through adopting such an approach, the government can remain true to the promise of a depoliticised police force that is proficient in all that it is needed for.
No longer should the issue of the selection of one officer prove to be an immense inconvenience that is reflective of all that is wrong in the police. A clear vision of where to take to police as well as what organisational changes to make is instrumental if any evolution in circumstances is to happen.
https://nation.com.pk/03-Jan-2021/failure-to-depoliticise
Failure to Depoliticise: edit in The Nation, Jan 3, 2021
This Friday, the Punjab government removed Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), Umar Sheikh, for reasons still unclear. What was once supposed to be an initiative to depoliticise the police, in order to improve competency, is now a confusing debacle which consists of sporadic appointments based upon the random selection of officers who exist in a body that looks to have little structure. The need for the government to clarify the path that it is taking is imperative, especially when every decision made within the police seems to reflect how inefficient it really is.
Ghulam Mehmood Dogar, an officer for 27 years, has now assumed office as the CCPO and inherited the authorities’ hopes to eradicate the problems within the police. However, what fails to be understood is that the abrupt policy of sacking and replacing is not likely to work since a systematic and comprehensive plan for change is needed—one individual can only do so much. Complications like capacity, hierarchy, and a clear absence of political influence need to be resolved immediately. The government needs to trace patterns, create strategies keeping in mind the need for the body to be autonomous, and move towards swift implementation through taking practical steps for change. Through adopting such an approach, the government can remain true to the promise of a depoliticised police force that is proficient in all that it is needed for.
No longer should the issue of the selection of one officer prove to be an immense inconvenience that is reflective of all that is wrong in the police. A clear vision of where to take to police as well as what organisational changes to make is instrumental if any evolution in circumstances is to happen.
https://nation.com.pk/03-Jan-2021/failure-to-depoliticise
Published in Pak Media comment and Pakistan