Initiatives

Transforming Policing in Pakistan: Training & Reforms

Police Awam Saath Saath, in partnership with the National Police Academy, hosted a conference recently which consisted of three sessions. Participants hailing from different walks of life e.g. rule of law, scholars, policymakers, and senior police leadership, academics, and professionals attended to share insights, catalyze partnerships, and develop roadmaps. Keynote speakers included IGP KP Sanaullah Abbasi and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice Mr. Riaz Fatyana

Partnership with Punjab Police

To enhance improvements in police-community relations in Pakistan it is necessary to bridge the trust deficit between the public and the police. The Police Awam Saath Saath program supported the strategic communications unit of Punjab police to help build the capacity of the department. This strategic communications unit is responsible for briefing and advising the police department and working in consultation with senior police officers (IG, Additional IG, DIG, etc.) to most effectively use digital media.

Partnership with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police

To ensure greater accountability of the Police service in the province. PASS program supported KPK police in the redesign of its complaints redressal system, through the inclusion of a robust data management system. This redesign will additionally allow complaints to be registered through WhatsApp, Facebook, and email making it more accessible to the community.

Partnership with National Police Academy

Police Awam Saath Saath supported the National Police Academy in working on the revision and up-gradation of its training, modules, and curriculum of the 18-month long Initial Command Course (ICC). This also included efforts to modernize and digitize content as per the international standards. The cornerstone of the National Police Academy Islamabad’s program for Police officers is their training for Assistant Superintendents of Police under the initial command course of the specialized training program, which is the second phase of a structured training regime following on from what is known as the common training program, whereby all civil service occupational groups train under the same roof for skills purportedly needed for service delivery when they join respective occupational groups.

Advocating for Police Reforms

To initiate a call for reforms for the Pakistan police, Police Awam Saath Saath supported Pakistan police, Parliamentarians, and Media personnel in launching advocacy campaigns. These campaigns focus on generating awareness on the issues such as the role of police as front line service against crime, civil unrest, natural disasters, the lack of involvement of the citizens in the police accountability process, human rights issues, misogyny within the criminal justice system, and the need for gender-friendly policing. These campaigns also provide a platform to build consensus among key stakeholders (parliamentarians, government officers, and media) to become a driving force behind the call for reforms through the provision of concrete policy recommendations from the participants.

Raising our Voice

To build support and to drive conversation around police reforms on digital platforms, a petition is initiated on change.org. It encourages citizens’ involvement in the process of initiating police accountability and focuses on providing awareness to the people in recognizing the role of police & the challenges they face as a front line service.

Capacity Building Trainings

The Police Awam Saath Saath program has been conducting training in collaboration with various police departments. The training modules are developed based on the understanding and use of technology among the police personnel and their communications.

Community Outreach Campaigns

The community outreach campaign allows the police to engage with communities in schools, neighborhoods, markets and community centers, and so on. Similarly, the communities, through this intervention, are encouraged to own the police and confidently approach the police force at their local police stations. This also helps build capacity within police departments to conduct low-cost community engagement activities to build great trust and confidence with communities and generate support for sustaining such activities from senior police leadership.