citizen report card study · 2019-12-19 · similarly, the manual system of lodging complaints is...

Citizen Report Card Study Police District Mardan - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Ashfaque AhmedPhD [email protected]@gmail.com

5

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL PAKISTAN

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ..................................................................................... 8

1.2 Study Objectives ........................................................................................... 13

1.3 Duration .......................................................................................................... 13

1.4 Scope .............................................................................................................. 13

2. Research Methods ....................................................................... 14

2.1 Research Design ...................................................................................... 14

2.2 Focus Group Discussion ........................................................................ 14

2.3 Sample Technique and Size .................................................................. 15

2.4 Instrument of Data Collection ............................................................... 15

3. Analysis and Results.................................................................... 16

3.1 Analysis of the Questions ........................................................................... 16

4. Conclusion and Recommendations ........................................... 30

6


List of Acronyms

CRC Citizen Report Card

DRC Dispute Resolution Council

FGD Focus Group Discussion

FIR First Information Report

ICT Information and Communication Technologies

IGP Inspector General Police

PAS Police Access Service

TI Transparency International


7

List of Tables

Table 2.1 KPK Crime Statistics 12

Table 3.1 Gender 16

Table 3.2 Easiness in lodging an FIR 16

Table 3.3 Police Cooperation in Filing an FIR 17

Table 3.4 Police Provide Relevant Information 18

Table 3.5 Online FIR/Complaint 18

Table 3.6 Reason for not Reporting a Crime 19

Table 3.7 How to Improve the Performance of Police 19

Table 3.8 Increase in Crime Rate 20

Table 3.9 Police in Eradicating Crimes 20

Table 3.10 Trust in Police 21

Table 3.11 Police Utilizing its Resources 21

Table 3.12 Negative impact of VVIPs Protocol 22

Table 3.13 Equal Treatment of Police 22

Table 3.14 Encouraging Police to Control Crimes 23

Table 3.15 Citizens Feel secured with Police 24

Table 3.16 Recruiting Educated Police force 24

Table 3.17 Changing Police Uniform 25

Table 3.18 Police Behavior with Citizens 25

Table 3.19 Citizens Access to Top Police Officials 26

Table 3.20 Friendly Behavior of the Police 26

Table 3.21 Overall Behavior Rating 27

Table 3.22 Citizen Satisfaction with Thana Culture 28

Table 3.23 Citizen avoid to report crimes due to Thana Culture 28

Table 3.24 Role of Model Police Station 28

Table 3.25 Overall Police Services Rating 29

8


1. Introduction

„The first duty of a Government is to maintain law and order, so that life, property and religious

beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State”, Quaid-e-Azam‟s address to the first Constituent

Assembly of Pakistan. (11 August 1947)

The progress and prosperity of any nation depends on how well it establishes public order and ensures

safety of its citizens. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, the crisis of law and order has worsened over the

years, while the country‟s primary law enforcing agency i.e. police is expected to show more efforts

overcoming this serious problem confronting Pakistan. The police in Pakistan is generally perceived

to be corrupt1 and has been politicized2, as a result of which there is a clear disconnect between police

and the general public.

Various surveys show that police is considered to be the most feared and least trusted department of

the government in Pakistan3. Since the inception of Pakistan, few attempts were made to reform the

police system, but in the absence of a political will, these attempts made no significant impact. As a

result, there is an outdated legal institutional framework in place that has fostered corruption and

inadequate accountability of the corrupt. Similarly, the recruitment process and the functioning of the

department are neither democratic nor politically neutral. Recruitments and postings are carried on

political basis rather than on merit. At the same time, the police department also faces the problems of

severe under-resourcing and lack of requisite professional training4&5.

In this grim scenario, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), police is making a difference.

For years, the people of KPK have suffered immensely under the backdrop of “War against Terror”.

Many brave officials of KPK Police, the Frontier Corps, Intelligence Agencies and the Armed Forces

have bravely fought at the frontline against terrorists and laid their lives in protecting the citizens. In

its bit to improve governance in the province, the provincial government has given the maintenance of

law and order a priority. Given this policy priority, KPK police has carried out substantial reforms and

has improved law and order in the province6. The official website of the KPK police claims many

improvements in services such as Police Access Services, Police Assistance Lines, Dispute Resolution

Council, SOS Call Service, Online FIR and Crime Statistics. Besides, it also states that it supports

transparency and accountability by providing details about the police budget. In order to ensure

accountability, KPK police has initiated accepting complaints against its own police officials7 and

reports to have begun action against a number of officials, based on these complaints.

1 https://tribune.com.pk/story/574577/land-services-police-most-corrupt-in-pakistan-transparency-international/

2https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272784355_Politicized_Policing_in_Pakistan_A_Constructivist_Study_of_Problems_

of_Policing_in_Lahore 3 https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/09/25/crooked-system/police-abuse-and-reform-pakistan

4 Recruitment - https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/09/25/crooked-system/police-abuse-and-reform-pakistan

5 https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/131776-How-can-police-be-reformed

6 https://www.dawn.com/news/1120355

7 http://kppolice.gov.pk/online/cap.php


9

Figure 1.1 Reporting room, PS, MRS, Kohat

Punishment Awarded

Sr.No. Rank

Removed

from

Services

Other

Punishments

including

reversion

Total

1 DSP/Acting

SP 11 8 19

2 Inspector 7 58 65

3 Sub-

Inspector 44 379 423

4 ASI 36 471 507

5 Head

constable 56 611 667

6 Constable 622 3983 4605

Total 776 5510 6286

Source:http://kppolice.gov.pk/comp_acc/complaints_accountability.php

Police has a crucial role in establishing peace and security. Being a law enforcement agency, it

enforces the law of the land and protects the life and property of the common man with their good

professional conduct. However, its services and relationship with citizens has largely been criticized

in Pakistan. Various media reports suggest a need of large scale police reforms; including

depoliticizing the institute, providing them equipment and resources and establishing a strong

accountability mechanism to make it more efficient and effective. Positive criticism aside, the efforts

of KPK Police against terrorism have to be appreciated. The KPK police have had to make huge

sacrifices in the war against terror for the sake of peace and stability.

When examining the efficiency of any workforce, its working condition plays a vital role to define it.

It has a direct impact on productivity8. There is no doubt that providing police force a conducive

environment is important for their performance. The KPK

government is establishing model police stations to break

the perception of old Thana culture. It is also setting up

modern reporting rooms in various police stations in the

province. A total of 11 Reporting Rooms have been

established throughout the province, including Peshawar,

Kohat, Nowshera, Mardan, Hazara and Swat9.

The KPK government plans to convert all the police

stations of the province into model police station in three-

year time period10. This is an important step as the

conditions of most of the police station in the province are

8 http://www.areasq.co.uk/news-knowledge/impact-working-environment-productivity

9 http://kppolice.gov.pk/reportingrooms/

10 http://defence.pk/threads/model-police-stations-in-kpk.282405/

10


Figure1.2 Model reporting room, PS, city Mardan

Figure1.3 Police Reporting Centre

Figure 1.4 Police Training

very poor. According to a news report, half of the police

stations in the province are established in rented or in old

buildings where the safety of the policemen is at risk

against terrorist attacks11. However, according to the

citizens, mere improvement in infrastructure will not serve

the purpose. The main objective of police is to serve its

citizens, protect their lives and minimize the crime rate. So,

the model police stations are required to serve this

purpose12 and the government is taking steps to improve

the performance of this institute by taking certain

significant measures. The establishment of Police

Information Technology School, School of

Investigation13,14 Schools of Intelligence, Traffic Schools and the Digitization of FIRs, Tenant

Information System, Identity Verification System, Vehicle Verification System, Criminal Record

Verification, Geo-Tagging, SOS Alert Service all over the province, according to the government, are

the steps towards putting the police force on modern lines15.

After the constitution‟s 18th amendment, KPK Police

Ordinance 2016 is an important milestone towards

institutional building. The ordinance encompasses the

appointment, tenure, transfer and accountability of mid to

senior level police officers. It also gives the Inspector

General Police (IGP) autonomy over postings of officers –

a power which previously rested with the Chief Minister16.

This will help police officers to go after criminals without

worrying about their transfer and posting on political or

bureaucratic basis.

Recent news of many crime scenes reported the involvement

of women in helping terrorist activities. Because of cultural

barriers, to check such activities the KPK police is also

recruiting female police in almost every department. These

female officers are being trained in Cybercrime17 and as elite

women commandos by providing a nine-month training

11

http://www.dawn.com/news/1252615 12

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/28296-model-police-stations-of-kp-fail-to-serve-purpose 13

http://tribune.com.pk/story/720028/going-hi-tech-k-p-police-launches-school-of-investigation/ 14

http://defence.pk/threads/model-police-stations-in-kpk.282405/ 15

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/7942-cm-kpk-sees-improvement-in-police-performance 16

http://nation.com.pk/editorials/04-Aug-2016/police-ordinance-2016 17

http://video.dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/mustwatch/5854/KPK-Police-training-female-officers-to-improve-Cyber-Wing#.WH8Cg1V961s


11

Figure 1.5 Police Assistance lines, Haripur

program that includes martial arts, heavy weapon firing, hostage situation, VIP protection, close

quarter battles and other combat tactics18. The CM has also announced to launch woman desk in all

the 500 police stations in the province19. It is pertinent to see the aftermath of these steps as how much

they benefit the citizens.

Many service providers are adopting new ways and latest technologies to upgrade their systems. It

helps to increase the efficiency of their services providing better quality to their customers or clients.

Similarly, the manual system of lodging complaints is becoming outdated. The PAS service of the

KPK police provides citizen an option to register their complaint through SMS at 8855 or by

recording their complaint on Toll free 0800 00400. The KPK government is using ICT to speed up the

process. The service is supposed to help the citizens who face difficulties in registering a complaint.

The PAS service claims that after sending the SMS, the concerned police officer will contact the

complainant within 24 hours20.

Considering the public perception about the

conventional police stations and their hesitation in

registering complaints, the KPK police have established

special public facilitation centers that provide a

comfortable and welcoming ambience for the citizens to

lodge their complaints 21. The system is functional in

every district headquarter offering a one window

solution. The services offered in PAL are:

Theft Reporting

Lost items reporting

Extortion reporting

Child lost and found

TIF Form and Rental Agreement Reporting

Police Security Clearance Certificate

Police Character Certificate

CNIC Verification

Vehicle Verification

Legal Advice

Women counter

Traffic license and excise document attestation

The Dispute Resolution Council is another project of the KPK police which offers reconciliation

services on local issues and petty matters under supervision of the local police. In many countries,

18

http://kppolice.gov.pk/elitewomen/ 19

https://www.thenewstribe.com/2014/04/21/women-police-desks-in-all-500-police-stations-of-kpk-pervez-khattak/ 20

http://kppolice.gov.pk/pas/ 21

http://kppolice.gov.pk/pas/

12


such councils are providing excellent services such as providing forums for building consensus and

policy making for dispute resolution22. The practice of dispute resolution through a third party is

global. Some of them are non-profit membership based organizations working independently for

dispute resolution23. The KPK Dispute Resolution Councils are operational in all the district

headquarters providing an appropriate environment in settling local disputes.

However, the efficacy of the new system will only be realized if it results in the minimizing the crime

rate.

Below is the six-month comparative analysis from 1st Jan to 30th June, 2016 taken from the KPK

Police website.

Figure 1.6 Dispute Resolution Council

The statistics shows that in the first six months of 2015, the overall crime rate had dropped. But in the

first six months of 2016 crimes had increased substantially except for cases of terrorism that dropped

24 percent and crime against property which dropped 10 percent as compared to the year earlier.

However, it is actually the citizens who can determine the effectiveness of the functions and services

of the police by providing their feedback in a proper manner. Therefore, TI Pakistan conducted a

Citizen Report Card Study (CRC) in Mardan district, KPK. The CRC is a participatory survey that

measure user feedback on the performance of public services. This is different than the opinion polls

22

http://www.cdrc.net/ 23

http://www.fvdrc.com/en/home/about.aspx


13

used to measure the perception of the respondents. The CRC targets only those who actually have

used the service in question within a particular period of time. The primary objective of this whole

exercise is to evaluate a public service paid by the taxpayers and to provide a feedback to the

government to improve the quality of the service and address the shortcomings. Although most of the

analysis is based on the quantitative feedback from a pool of respondents, the study also incorporates

the findings made during the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and various interviews taken during the

data collection process.

Transparency International (TI) Pakistan in collaboration with Movement for Rural Development

Organization (MRDO) conducted a Citizen Report Card study – a social accountability tool– to

assess/evaluate the police services in three tehsils of district Mardan namely Katlang, Takht Bhai, and

Mardan. The population of the district is estimated to be 1,460,00024 which makes it the 19th largest

city of Pakistan25 with 74 union councils, 168 Mauzas and two Municipal Committees26.

1.2 Study Objectives

The CRC study aimed to assess/evaluate the availability, functioning, and the quality of the police

services in district Mardan. The main objectives of the CRC study were:

1. To evaluate the state of police services from the end-user perspective.

2. To identify gaps in service delivery processes and appraise the good practices

3. To provide a quantitative feedback to all the stakeholders, particularly the police department

about the service quality while pointing out weak areas for future planning and budgeting.

4. To provide a basis for future research in the same area.

1.3 Duration

The estimated duration of the study was three months. It started on October 1, 2016 ended on

December 31, 2016. During this period, all work of research design, data collection and analysis was

carried out.

1.4 Scope

The data collected during this study was based on the sample taken from district Mardan. Hence its

findings can only be generalized to that district. Since the overall rules governing the police in the

province are same, it is assumed that the institute has a similar police culture in other districts; hence

the findings are assumed to be relevant to other districts as well. The data was collected based on a

questionnaire formed after a detailed and thorough secondary research. The nature of the data is

quantitative and descriptive statistics is used to formulate the results. Due to financial and time

constraints, this study took data only from Mardan district whereas other districts were excluded from

the study.

24

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardan_District 25

http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//tables/population%20size%20and%20growth%20of%20major%20cities.pdf 26

http://kp.gov.pk/page/mardandistrictdemographics

http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/tables/POPULATION%20SIZE%20AND%20GROWTH%20OF%20MAJOR%20CITIES.pdf

14


2. Research Methods

2.1 Research Design

A key part of a research is an effective methodology which helps to achieve the research objectives.

It determines which information needs to be collected, the population of the study, sampling frame,

sample size, sampling method, data collection techniques, and method of analyzing the collected

data.

Typically, the CRC uses a survey method which requires a respondent to choose among the options

given in the form of a structured questionnaire. In this CRC, the respondent was the user of the police

service. The structured questionnaire was prepared systematically by using deductive and inductive

approaches which follow the guidelines of a proper research technique. The questionnaire which was

made following a deductive approach further validated inductively in a focus group discussion. After

finalizing the questionnaire, it was further translated into Urdu. A team of dedicated people were

selected who were given a briefing on the subject, the questionnaire and the objectives of the study.

Where needed, the team could translate the questions into Pashto so as to make the respondent

understand it. The survey was conducted around the Sessions courts of each of the tehsils as it was

assumed that was where the potential respondents of the CRC could be found.

As anticipated, a good number of respondents were found inside and around the premises of the

Session courts. These people had used the police services and were suitable according to the need of

the research.

After collecting the data, it was processed for further analysis on IBM SPSS software. The results

were compiled with graphical representation for a common person to easily understand it.

2.2 Focus Group Discussion

The Focus Group Discussion was an important aspect of CRC so as to include a qualitative input into

the study‟s findings. It also helped to validate the questionnaire and modify it before finalization.

Initially the questionnaire was developed through secondary sources based mainly on the previous

researches, newspaper articles and information given on the relevant websites. In the first stage, 25

questions, with relevant options, were carefully formulated in easy language for the understanding by

the local population. After finalizing the first step, the focus group study was conducted in district

Mardan in collaboration with our local partner NGO „Movement for Rural Development

Organization‟ (MRDO). According to the requirement of the study, the police department of district

Mardan was requested to send their representatives as participants of the study so that their input

could also be incorporated. On October 2, 2016, the discussion was held in Mardan participated by 20

individuals mainly the Local Police, lawyers, media personnel, students, teachers, and social workers.

The session was moderated by Ashfaque Ahmed, Project Coordinator of TI Pakistan. The

questionnaire, comprising 30 questions, was finalized with some modifications incorporating the

recommendations of the FGD.


15

The participants agreed that, apart from few challenges, the overall performance of the police has been

improved in the province. They also shared various incidents about police behavior and the change in

the Thana culture in the province.

Figure 2.1 Focus Group Discussion, Madan

These incidents were based on their personal experiences/observations. The representative of the

police spoke about the problems faced by the police when dealing in different situations. He

emphasized on the need of closer citizen-police coordination to eliminate terrorism and crimes from

the province. He also complained that sometimes people expectations are unrealistic considering the

challenges they are facing.

2.3 Sample Technique and Size

On the basis of available time and resources, this CRC followed a non-probabilistic convenience

sampling approach. This approach is not new as majority of the survey researches follow the same

sampling technique. The sampling frame of this study was the session courts in each of the three

tehsils of the district Mardan. The total sample size of the study was 200 which is a decent sample size

to infer a generalization about a district. The objective is not to generate a large number of

questionnares but to achieve a good representation of the population.

2.4 Instrument of Data Collection

Choosing an instrument of data collection is an important part of the research as it directly influences

the results. For this CRC, a questionnaire was developed in Urdu through a proper process in which it

was made sure that all the relevant aspects of the issue were asked to the respondents. The

questionnaire was developed not only with the help of secondary sources but also it incorporated the

recommendations of the focus group discussion.

16


Male 99%

Female 1%

Yes 70%

No 30%

Figure 3.2 Easiness in lodging an FIR

3. Analysis and Results

The CRC study took the data from 201 respondents. According to the Table 3.1, 98.5 percent of the

respondents were males while 1.5 percent were females. The very small ratio of the female

respondents in the survey is understandable because largely, as a cultural norm, male face the police

in court matters.

3.1 Analysis of the Questions

Q1: Can you easily register a FIR/complaint? Complaint/FIR registration is a right for every citizen who wants to report any crime and require

police intervention. However, in Pakistan it has been reported frequently that the police avoid lodging

a FIR/complaint. Citizens were of the view that police did not register even a non-causal report (NC

report), let alone registering the FIR27.

27

http://www.dawn.com/news/863875

Table 3.1

Gender

Frequency Percent

Male 198 98.5

Female 3 1.5

Total 201 100.0

Table 3.2

Easiness in lodging an FIR

Frequency Percent

Yes 141 70.1

No 60 29.9

Total 201 100.0

Figure 3.1 Gender


17

Yes 61%

No 14%

Some Extent 25%

Out of the 201 respondents, 70 percent could easily

register their FIR and did not face any significant hurdle.

However, 30 percent responded „No‟ which requires

further research to know the difficulties in registering a

FIR.

The KPK Government has initiated the online FIR

registration process encompassing the latest Information

Technology. This is an important development as this

process eliminates the need for a person to visit the

police station to register a FIR. However, its benefit can

only be taken by those who are computer literate.

Important, the online FIR registration is in English and not in the national language which also

deprives many to use this facility.

Q2: Do the police cooperate with you in filing FIR/complaint?

This question was added to measure the behavioral change of police towards a common citizen. 60.7

percent responded „yes‟ while 14.4 percent responded „No‟ 24.9 percent experienced the cooperation

to „Some Extent‟.

Q3: Do you agree that the police should provide you the relevant information to register an

FIR/complaint?

A common citizen is not used to filing complaint/FIR. They are hesitant to even visit a police station.

Filing a complaint in a police station against a crime is difficult for a common man but it could be

easier if the police on duty facilitate him. It will increase citizen‟s trust on their police and build

cooperation against crime. Among the respondent, 84 percent agreed that they experienced

cooperation, while 11 percent found it to „Some Extent‟. During this survey, citizens also shared their

experience.

Table 3.3

Police Cooperation in Filing an FIR

Frequency Percent

Yes 122 60.7

No 29 14.4

Some Extent 50 24.9

Total 201 100.0

Table 3.4

Figure 3.3 Police Cooperation in Filing an FIR

Figure 3.3 Conducting survey, Takht-i-Bahi

18


Yes 9%

No 91%

Yes 84%

No 5%

Some Extent 11%

Q4: Have you ever registered an online FIR/complaint?

The KPK Government has also initiated an online FIR/complaint registering facility for the citizens.

However, according to our findings, very few people are utilizing this facility.

91 percent responded „No‟ and only 9 percent responded „Yes‟. The online complaint registration

process requires submitting data in English. It will make a positive impact on the rate if the same

facility will also be provided in the national language. However, further investigation is required to

understand the reason behind this low rate.

Q5: Mark the most obvious reason why you could not file a complaint to Police about a crime?

The Focus Group Discussion conducted for this CRC finalized 07 options as to why a complainant

would not report a crime scene to the police. According to our findings, apart from a minor crime

option, the two options which amount to 53 percent of the total are: avoids to involve in court matters,

police will disturb me

Table 3.4

Police provide Relevant Information

Frequency Percent

Yes 168 83.6

No 10 5.0

Some

Extent 23 11.4

Total 201 100.0

Table 3.5

Online FIR/complaint

Frequency Percent

Yes 18 9%

No 183 91%

Total 201 100.0

Figure 3.5 Online FIR/complaint

Figure 3.4 Police provide relevant information


19

Need more

training 12%

Need better

equipment 2%

Recuritment

on merit 37% More

coordination with citizens

8%

Police should

be more indepen

dent 25%

Promotion and trasnfer should be as

per law 16%

Idont want to be

involved in Court matters

36%

It is a minor crime 22%

Police will disturb me

17%

I have reported

to someone

else 9%

Police will not do

anything 7%

I am afraid of Police

6%

It is not your job to report

3%

Q6: In your opinion, how can the government improve the performance of police?

The KPK government has taken various steps to improve the performance of the police including

recruitment on merit, free from unfair political intervention, training and development. However, it is

equally important to gauge the public opinion as to how the government can improve the performance

of the police force. According to this research findings, the citizens feel that merit should be the

priority for recruitment in the police (36.8 percent responded on this option), the police be free from

unfair political interference (24.9 percent responded on this option).

Frequency Percent

Need more training 24 11.9

Need better equipment 4 2.0

Recruitment be on

merit 74 36.8

More coordination

with citizens 16 8.0

Police should be more

independent 50 24.9

Promotion and transfer

should be as per law 33 16.4

Total 201 100.0

Frequency Percent

Police will not do

anything 13 6.5

It is a minor crime 44 21.9

Police will disturb

me 35 17.4

I don‟t want to be

involved in Court

matters

73 36.3

I am afraid of Police 13 6.5

I have reported to

someone else 18 9.0

It is not your job to

report 5 2.5

Total 201 100.0

Figure 3.5 How to improve the performance of Police

Figure 3.6 Reasons for not reporting a crime

Table 3.7

How to improve the performance of Police

Table 3.6

Reasons for not reporting a crime

20


The statistics shows how deeply our citizens understand the causes of the inefficiency of a

government department particularly the police, and their response as to how to make up such

deficiency is very straight and clear.

Q7: Do you think crime rate is increasing in your area?

The crime statistics displayed on the official website of the KPK police suggested a decreased in the

crime rate in the first half of 2015, but the same indicators had gone up in the first half of 2016 except

for terrorism which declined further by 24 percent and property cases declined by 10 percent as

compared to the earlier years.

According to this CRC study, this question was asked to assess citizen‟s perception about the police

performance on the basis of crime rates.

Table 3.8

Increase in Crime Rate

Frequency Percent

Yes 49 24.4

No 79 39.3

To some

extent 73 36.3

Total 201 100.0

So, 39 percent responded that they don‟t perceive that the crime rate is increasing, but 24 percent

perceived that it is increasing in their area.

Q8: Do you think that the police can eradicate these crimes?

According to this CRC finding, 66.7 percent of the respondents believe that the police has the capacity

to curb the crimes and 22 percent responded „Some Extent‟.

Table 3.9

Police in Eradicating Crimes

Frequency Percent

Yes 134 66.7

No 22 10.9

Some

Extent 45 22.4

Total 201 100.0

Yes 25%

No 39%

To some extent 36%

Figure 3.6 Increase in Crime Rate

Yes 67%

No 11%

Some Extent 22%

Figure3.7 Police in Eradicating Crimes


21

12.9%

12.4%

42.3%

12.9%

19.4%

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Very low

Low

Moderate

High

Very high

Q9: How much do you trust the Police?

The two previous questions systematically evaluated citizens‟ perception, who had used police

services in the past. Although majority think that the crime rate is increasing, but they also believe that

their police can eradicate this crime. According to the Table 3.10, 1 shows a very low trust on police

while 5 shows a very high trust. 32 percent of the respondents had high and very high trust whereas 25

percent of the respondents had a low and very low trust.

Q10: Do you think that the police is fully utilizing its resources?

According to the CRC survey 24 percent responded „Yes‟, 49 percent responded „Some Extent‟

among while 27 percent responded „No‟.

Table 3.11

Police Utilizing its Resources

Frequency Percent

Yes 49 24.4

No 54 26.9

Some Extent 98 48.8

Total 201 100.0

It means that majority of the citizens who have been believe that police is fully utilization its resources

or utilizing up to some extent.

Q11: Do you think police deployed on VVIP protocol causes a negative impact to maintain law

& order situation?

The deployment of police on the security of the VVIPs has been an old issue28 irrespective of any

province. Several reports have been published in newspapers highlighting its negative impact on the

28


Table 3.10

Trust in Police

Frequency Percent

Very low 10 12.9

Low 20 12.4

Moderate 90 42.3

High 37 12.9

Very high 44 19.4

Total 201 100.0

Yes 24%

No 27%

Some Extent 49%

Figure 3.8 Trust in Police

Figure 3.9Police Utilizing its Resources

22


ability of the police to curb crimes. Not only police personnel, but also their vehicles are engaged on

these duties. According to another news source, heavy contingent was deployed on the security of

VVIPs in Islamabad29. In December 2015, KPK government issued a notice banning all VVIPs

protocols;30 however, according to another news report, in the same notification, mandatory security

should be provided to the VVIPs31 .

Equally important is to know how a citizen feels about this protocol and its impact on the police in

managing security in the city for a common citizen. According to the findings of this CRC, 83 percent

responded that VVIP protocol had a negative impact on police performance and only 17 percent

responded that it did not.

Q12: Do you think the police treat every citizen equally?

A public department running on the taxes of a common man should treat him equally and give him

equal respect. Discrimination on the basis of status, religion, gender, or class is not accepted in

democratic societies where every citizen has equal rights. According to this CRC, when asked the

question whether police treats every citizen equally, 78 percent responded „No‟ which signals that a

significant amount of discrimination exists. Only 22 percent respondents have observed equal

treatment to all citizens by the police.

29

http://www.zemtvs.com/3600-out-of-10000-islamabad-policemen-deployed-on-vip-duty-for-pm-nawaz-sharif-president-others-on-youtube/ 30 http://www.dawn.com/news/1228896 31

http://www.zemtvs.com/3600-out-of-10000-islamabad-policemen-deployed-on-vip-duty-for-pm-nawaz-sharif-president-others-on-youtube/

Table 3.12

Negative Impact of VVIPs Protocol

Frequency Percent

Yes 167 83.1

No 34 16.9

Total 201 100.0

Table 3.13

Equal Treatment of the Police

Frequency Percent

Yes 45 22.4

No 156 76.6

Total 201 100.0

Yes 83%

No 17%

Yes 22%

No 78%

Figure 3.10 Negative Impact of VVIPs Protocol

Figure 3.11 Equal Treatment of the Police


23

17.9%

9.0%

30.3%

12.9%

29.9%

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Q13: Do you think that crimes can be controlled if we encourage our police?

Positivity can make a huge impact on emotional well-being and performance32. In his book Social

Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships, Daniel Goleman explains that communicating

positive emotions enhances mental abilities such as “creative thinking, cognitive flexibility, and the

processing of information.”33 Whether it is a fight against crime or an act against terrorism, the task is

so tough and often results into acute mental disturbance when things do not go right, making a

negative impact on the services delivered to the public.

According to this CRC, 92 percent responded „Yes‟ that crimes can be controlled if the police is

encouraged during the course of performing their duties, while 8 percent responded „No‟ saying it has

no impact on bringing the crime rate down.

Q14: Do you feel secured in the presence of police?

It is the duty of police to protect the lives and

property of every citizen. Citizens should feel

secured in their presence. However, in Pakistan,

the general feeling of people is different about

police. In order to check how the people of

Mardan feel about their police, we asked

whether they feel secured in the presence of

Police. The response was taken on a scale from

1 to 5; where 1 represents „Strongly Disagree‟

and 5 represents „Strongly Agree‟.

32 https://blog.bufferapp.com/why-positive-encouragement-works-better-than-criticism-according-to-science 33 http://www.danielgoleman.info/topics/social-intelligence/

Table 3.14

Encouraging Police to control Crimes

Frequency Percent

Yes 185 92.0

No 16 8.0

Total 201 100.0

Yes 92%

No 8%

Figure 3.12 Encouraging Police to control Crimes the Police

Figure 3.13 Citizens Feel Secured with Police

24


Yes 82%

No 4%

Some Extent 14%

According to the results, majority of the respondents agreed

with the statement which means they feel secured in the

presence of police. It also infers to the conclusion that the

police is doing fairly well in behaving with the citizens.

However, a considerable number of respondent completely

disagreed. Statistically, 27 percent of the respondents

disagreed or strongly disagreed, while 43 percent agreed or

strongly agreed with the statement.

Q15: Do you think that recruiting educated people in the police will improve the behavior of

police with the citizen?

Several researches have been conducted to define and scientifically test the relationship between

performance and productivity of an educated workforce and established a strong positive relationship

between educated individuals and their performance. According to Berger and Fisher (2013) research

work published in The Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a well-educated workforce is key to state

prosperity34

The same findings are supported by the work of Barcelona GSE Affiliated Professor and CREI

Researcher Thijs van Rens which was published in The Review of Economics and Statistics35. The

findings suggest that more educated workers are more productive at their jobs and also provide a

social return36.

According to this CRC study, 82 percent respondents think that recruiting educated people in the

police will improve the behavior of police with the citizen and marginal 4 percent think education will

not have any impact on their behavior with citizens.

34 http://www.epi.org/publication/states-education-productivity-growth-foundations/ 35

https://econ.upf.edu/docs/papers/downloads/942.pdf 36 http://www.barcelonagse.eu/news/value-educated-workforce-comparison-growth-and-inequality-across-countries

Table 3.15

Frequency Percent

Strongly Disagree 36 17.9

Disagree 18 9.0

Neutral 61 30.3

Agree 26 12.9

Strongly Agree 60 29.9

Total 201 100.0

Table 3.16

Recruiting Educated Police Force

Frequency Percent

Yes 164 81.6

No 8 4.0

Some Extent 29 14.4

Total 201 100.0

Citizens Feel Secured with Police

Figure 3.14 Recruiting Educated Police Force


25

Yes 91%

No 9%

Yes 62%

No 38%

Q16: Do you think changing police’s uniform will change the perception of citizen about them?

Research shows that appearance strongly influences other people's perception of authority,

trustworthiness, and intelligence37. According to the Association for Psychological Science (APS),

clothing influences the way other perceive you38. According to another study Michael Slepian, Simon

Ferber, Joshua Gold, and Abraham Rutchick found that clothing influence the way other perceive a

person but also the way a person perceives himself and influence on his decision making39.

Similarly, if we change the perception of the citizens and apply various methods to do so, this research

based approach may also be applied.

According to this CRC, 62 percent of the respondents endorsed that it will change the perception of

citizens about the police, while 38 percent responded that it would not.

Q17: Do you think that encouraging police will help improve their behavior with the citizen?

According to the CRC report, majority of the respondents, 90.5 percent, think that police if

encouraged on their performance will bring behavioral changes particularly in dealing with the

common man. The humble polite behavior with the citizens by the Assistant sub-inspector from

Karachi, Imtiaz Ali, was commended both in media and by his department officials40. Such stories

encourage other police officials to behave politely with the citizens.

37 http://www.businessinsider.com/how-your-clothing-impacts-your-success-2014-8 38 http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/when-clothing-style-influences-cognitive-style.html#.wihrvvv961s 39 http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/when-clothing-style-influences-cognitive-style.html#.wihrvvv961s 40 https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/viral/this-pakistani-traffic-inspector-is-stumping-the-internet-for-all-the-right-reasons/

Table No. 3.17

Changing Police Uniform

Frequency Percent

Yes 125 62.2

No 76 37.8

Total 201 100.0

Table No. 3.18

Police Behavior with Citizens

Frequency Percent

Yes 182 90.5

No 19 9.5

Total 201 100.0

Figure 3.15 Changing Police Uniform

Figure 3.16 Police Behavior with Citizens

26


Yes 45%

No 55%

17.9%

40.8%

29.9%

11.4%

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Never

Not very often

Often

Always

Q.18 Do you think the top officials of KPK police are accessible to a common citizen? It is the general belief that top public officials are not accessible to a common man. The KPK

government, particularly the police made several claims that their officials are accessible to the

common citizen. The CRC survey asked this question with its sample population. According to the

results, 55 percent responded that the police officials were not accessible while 45 percent responded

that they were.

Q. 19 Have you ever experienced friendly behavior of police?

This question in the CRC measures user experience about a friendly behavior of police. According to

the gathered data, 11.4 percent responded that they always experience a friendly behavior while the

29.9 percent responded it is often. And just 1.5 percent respondents had never experienced it. Table 3.20

Friendly Behavior of the Police

Frequency Percent

Never 36 17.9

Not very often 82 40.8

Often 60 29.9

Always 23 11.4

Total 201 100.0

Q. 20 Rate overall behavior of the police

For this particular question, we took the scale of measurement from 1 to 10, with one very bad, and 10

Excellent.

Table 3.19

Citizens access to Top Police Officials

Frequency Percent

Yes 90 44.8

No 111 55.2

Total 201 100.0

Figure 3.17 Citizens access to Top Police

Officials with Citizens

Figure 3.18 Friendly Behavior of the Police


27

Table 3.21

Overall Behavior Rating

x

Very

Bad 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Excellent Total

Frequency 1 10 26 20 33 42 41 14 7 7 201

Percent .5 5.0 12.9 10.0 16.4 20.9 20.4 7.0 3.5 3.5 100.0

Figure 3.19 Overall Behavior Rating

Majority of the respondents rated the behavior from 5 to 7 which amounts to 57.7 percent of the total.

From 8 to 10 the response rate has been 14 percent, while 28.4 percent responded from 1 to 4. Q. 21 How much are you satisfied with existing Thana culture?

To measure it, we ask respondents to rate a statement (I am satisfied with the Thana Culture) on a

scale from 1 to 5. Where 1= Strongly disagree, 2= disagree, 3= Neither Agree nor Disagree, 4= Agree,

and 5= Strongly Agree. According to the Citizen Report Card study, 27.9 percent respondents strongly disagreed with the

statement, 28.4 percent strongly agreed with the statement. It means people have different experience.

The government of KPK wants to convert its police stations into model police stations. This will help

to change the experience of the citizens.

[VALUE]%

5.0%

12.9%

10.0%

16.4%

20.9%

20.4%

7.0%

3.5%

3.5%

.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0

Very Bad

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Excellent

28


4.5

32.8

44.8

14.9

3.0

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly Agree

Yes 90%

No 10%

Yes 66% No

5%

Some Extent 29%

Table 3.22 Citizens Satisfaction with Thana Culture

Q. 22 Do people avoid reporting crimes to the police due to Thana culture?

When respondents were asked if they are afraid to report crimes due to Thana culture, 90 percent

responded “Yes”. The finding is consistent with the findings of our previous questions in which

majority of the respondents chose not to be involved in court and police matters.

Figure 3.21 Citizens avoid to report crimes due to Thana culture

There is a need to bridge the gap between police and citizen so that more citizens cooperate with their

police to eliminate crimes.

Q. 23 Will Model Police Stations change the Thana culture?

Out of 201 respondents, 65.7 percent responded „Yes‟ and only 5.5 percent responded No. Those who

believe that they will make a difference up to some extent are 28.9 percent.

Frequency Percent

Strongly Disagree 9 4.5

Disagree 66 32.8

Neutral 90 44.8

Agree 30 14.9

Strongly Agree 6 3.0

Total 201 100.0

Table 3.23

Citizens avoid to report crimes due to Thana

culture

Frequency Percent

Yes 181 90.0

No 20 10.0

Total 201 100.0

Table 3.24

Role of Model Police Station

Frequency Percent

Yes 132 65.7

No 11 5.5

Some Extent 58 28.9

Total 201 100.0

Figure 3.20 Citizens Satisfaction with Thana Culture

Figure 3.22 Role of Model Police

Station


29

1%

10%

23%

23%

33%

52%

33%

16%

8%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Lowest

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Highest

Q. 24 Rate your district police.

At the end, the respondents were asked to rate the overall services of the police at a scale from 1 to 10,

1 being extremely bad, and 10 extremely good. 17.9 percent respondents rated the police from 1 to 4,

and 70.6 percent of the respondents rated the police services from 6 to 10.

Table 3.25 Overall Police Services Rating

Lowest 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Highest Total

Frequency 2 1 10 23 23 33 52 33 16 8 201

Percent 1 0.5 5 11.4 11.4 16.4 25.9 16.4 8 4 100

Figure 3.23 Overall Police Services Rating

30


4. Conclusion and Recommendations

According to the collected data of the district Mardan, the overall perception and performance of the

KPK police has improved particularly from the service delivery aspect. However, there are few areas

pointed out in the analysis section like conversion of old Thanas into Model Police Stations, equal

treatment of police to its citizens, recruiting educated individuals, building confidence among citizens

to report crime, and effective resource utilization which need to be focused on and addressed as a part

of continuous improvement.

Based on the findings of the CRC study and the focus group discussion, following are the proposed

recommendations:

1. The KPK Police should enhance awareness among citizens to report incidents of non-

cooperation of police staff in registering FIR/complaint.

2. The online complaint/FIR registration is a fine option to increase the rate of reporting crime.

However, it is not widely utilized among the citizens. One reason could be its interface/input

in English language which caters to a small section of the citizens. Options should be

available in national language so that more people can easily use it.

3. A video link should be provided on the webpage that could educate people how to register

FIR in local/national language.

4. Citizens are reluctant to report crimes because they are not comfortable to be involved in

police matters. Efforts need be augmented further to change this perception. High cooperation

of citizen with the police will definitely assist them to effectively counter terrorism and lower

down the crime rates.

5. According to this survey, 25 percent citizen believe that the performance of the police can be

improved if it is more independent. Therefore, it is recommended that the government should

carry on its policy to depoliticize the police with a proper accountability mechanism.

6. Importantly the citizens need to trust the abilities of their police to eradicate crime. This

requires the sanctity of merit in recruitment in the police. Recruitment of educated individuals

will increase their performance.

7. The statistics available on the website are not in detail. These needs to be more thorough and

specific providing details about the performance regarding the numbers of FIRs that have

been registered, how many have been resolved, and the success ratio.

8. Police success stories should be highlighted and disseminated properly through media for

gaining wide range of public appreciation and encouragement. This will motivate the police

to perform better and improve their behavior towards the public.

9. The Model Police Station is developing a better perception of improved services. Such police

stations should be implemented through-out the province.

10. Deployment of police force on VIPs protocols should be curtailed to the minimum.


31

References: 1. Express Tribune: Land services, police most corrupt in Pakistan: Transparency International

https://tribune.com.pk/story/574577/land-services-police-most-corrupt-in-pakistan-transparency-

international/

2. ResearchGate: Politicized Policing in Pakistan: A Constructivist Study of Problems of Policing in Lahore

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272784355_Politicized_Policing_in_Pakistan_A_Constructivist_S

tudy_of_Problems_of_Policing_in_Lahore

3. Report: Police Abuse and Reform in Pakistan

https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/09/25/crooked-system/police-abuse-and-reform-pakistan

4. Recruitment: Report: Police Abuse and Reform in Pakistan


5. How can police be reformed? The News

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/131776-How-can-police-be-reformed

6. Police restructuring, Dawn News:

https://www.dawn.com/news/1120355

7. KPK Police Official Website: http://kppolice.gov.pk/online/cap.php

8. Area UK: http://www.areasq.co.uk/news-knowledge/impact-working-environment-productivity

9. KPK Police Official Website: http://kppolice.gov.pk/reportingrooms/

10. Model police stations in KPK: Pakistan Defence

https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/model-police-stations-in-kpk.282405/

11. Half of KP police stations operate in rented, ramshackle buildings, Dawn News


12. Model police stations of KP fail to serve purpose, The News

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/28296-model-police-stations-of-kp-fail-to-serve-

purpose

13. Going hi-tech: K-P police launches School of Investigation, Express Tribune

http://tribune.com.pk/story/720028/going-hi-tech-k-p-police-launches-school-of-

investigation/

14. Model police stations in KPK, Pakistan Defence

http://defence.pk/threads/model-police-stations-in-kpk.282405/

15. CM KPK sees improvement in police performance, The News

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/7942-cm-kpk-sees-improvement-in-police-performance

16. Police Ordinance 2016, The Nation: http://nation.com.pk/04-Aug-2016/police-ordinance-2016

17. Report, Dunya News: KPK Police training female officers to improve Cyber Wing‟s performance

http://video.dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/mustwatch/5854/KPK-Police-training-female-officers-to-improve-

Cyber-Wing#.WkR34d-WZkh

18. Elite Women Commandos, KPK Police: http://kppolice.gov.pk/elitewomen/

19. Women police desks in all 500 police stations of KPK, The News Tribe:

https://www.thenewstribe.com/2014/04/21/women-police-desks-in-all-500-police-stations-of-kpk-pervez-

khattak/

20. Police Access Service: http://kppolice.gov.pk/pas/

21. Police Access Service: http://kppolice.gov.pk/pas/

22. CRDC: http://www.cdrc.net/

23. FVDRC: http://fvdrc.com/en/home/about.aspx

24. 1998 District Census report of Mardan. Census publication

25. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

26. Government of KPK: http://kp.gov.pk/page/mardandistrictdemographics

27. Police verses FIR Registration: http://www.dawn.com/news/863875

https://tribune.com.pk/story/574577/land-services-police-most-corrupt-in-pakistan-transparency-international/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272784355_Politicized_Policing_in_Pakistan_A_Constructivist_Study_of_Problems_of_Policing_in_Lahore

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272784355_Politicized_Policing_in_Pakistan_A_Constructivist_Study_of_Problems_of_Policing_in_Lahore



https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/131776-How-can-police-be-reformed

https://www.dawn.com/news/1120355/police-restructuring

http://www.areasq.co.uk/news-knowledge/impact-working-environment-productivity

https://www.dawn.com/news/1252615/half-of-kp-police-stations-operate-in-rented-ramshackle-buildings

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/28296-model-police-stations-of-kp-fail-to-serve-

https://tribune.com.pk/story/720028/going-hi-tech-k-p-police-launches-school-of-investigation/

http://tribune.com.pk/story/720028/going-hi-tech-k-p-police-launches-school-of-

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/7942-cm-kpk-sees-improvement-in-police-performance

http://video.dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/mustwatch/5854/KPK-Police-training-female-officers-to-improve-Cyber-Wing#.WkR34d-WZkh

http://video.dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/mustwatch/5854/KPK-Police-training-female-officers-to-improve-Cyber-Wing#.WkR34d-WZkh

32


28. Protocol Duries, The News: https://www.dawn.com/news/684973

29. Police Deployment, Dunya News: http://www.zemtvs.com/3600-out-of-10000-islamabad-policemen-

deployed-on-vip-duty-for-pm-nawaz-sharif-president-others-on-youtube/

30. No Undue Protocol for VIPs in KPK: https://www.dawn.com/news/1228896

31. Police Deployment, Dunya News: http://www.zemtvs.com/3600-out-of-10000-islamabad-policemen-

deployed-on-vip-duty-for-pm-nawaz-sharif-president-others-on-youtube/

32. Why Positive Encouragement works better than Criticism: https://blog.bufferapp.com/why-positive-

encouragement-works-better-than-criticism-according-to-science

33. Daniel Goleman: http://www.danielgoleman.info/topics/social-intelligence/

34. Economic Policy Institute: http://www.epi.org/publication/states-education-productivity-growth-

foundations/

35. University of Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona: https://econ.upf.edu/docs/papers/downloads/942.pdf

36. The Value of an Educated Workforce: https://www.barcelonagse.eu/news/value-educated-workforce-

comparison-growth-and-inequality-across-countries

37. How you dress affects more than you might think, Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-

your-clothing-impacts-your-success-2014-8

38. Psychological Science: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/when-clothing-style-

influences-cognitive-style.html#.wihrvvv961s

39. Psychological Science: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/when-clothing-style-

influences-cognitive-style.html#.wihrvvv961s

Daily Pakistan: https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/viral/this-pakistani-traffic-inspector-is-stumping-the-

internet-for-all-the-right-reasons/

https://econ.upf.edu/docs/papers/downloads/942.pdf


33

34


citizen report card study · 2019-12-19 · similarly, the manual system of lodging complaints is...

Documents