Police reform in the offing

The UNDP has submitted the $13.5 million reform plan for first three years, but it is extendable up to six years, depending on successful implementation of the start-up phase. However, the government will need technical, financial and logistic support of other international agencies to implement such a massive project, which entails the task of not only modernising the police but also retrieving it from the debris of degeneration taking place over decades. It is also heartening to know that the World Bank may respond positively to the government's call.

But it will not suffice to have all logistic support in place. What will be crucially important to the whole plan is a political will and understanding between the major parties that police will never be used for any purpose other than enforcement of the law. It is widely believed that political influence has had a crippling effect on the law enforcement agencies. They have had a low professional morale.

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We have always insisted on raising the standards of police to the level that would enable them to meet the growing challenge of law enforcement in the contemporary world. Police are getting outsmarted by criminal groups and have neither the wherewithal nor the skill to fight cyber crimes or money laundering. They are deemed to be lagging behind.

For the police to perform better, they must improve their skills in intelligence-gathering and analysis, forensic investigation, case management, and also in dealing with the media.

The first phase of the reform plan will surely be the nucleus around which the future plans will revolve. So, it is imperative that the government implement the reform plan with precision, keeping in view the areas which deserve immediate attention.