Director General’s Message
Director General
Policing challenges are not easy to tackle in this age of social media and artificial intelligence. While public awareness has risen tremendously, the spread of fake news has escalated the potential for social discord. As a result, communities’ safety needs are growing daily, yet they often lack trust in their police forces. The trust deficit discourages police officers from taking full interest in their duties as they lose support of the communities they are supposed to protect. Trust is the foundation of effective policing and is essential for positive outcomes—a reality that is global in scope. Pakistan is no exception. Every action of the police is under microscope and people see instances of incompetence and heavy handedness on their smart phone screens day and night. Striking a delicate balance between safety and individual rights has become more challenging than ever. Our police forces often operate in environments that are unfriendly, and sometimes outrightly hostile. The public perceives the police as an institution that does not fully uphold the rule of law or due process. Differential policing practices, wherein the powerful and poor are treated differently, have further widened the gap between the police and the public. Both sides harbor their own frustrations, and the relationship remains deeply fractured
Crime control is becoming increasingly challenging as criminals exploit the latest technology to commit crimes while leaving little or no clues. Initiative is always with the criminal and police forces take preventive and detective measures. Resource constraints have considerably impaired the capacity of the police to effectively combat modern day crime. Budgets have been reduced in real terms, limiting necessary upgrades in tools and technology. Furthermore, an entrenched internal culture within police forces often resists modernization and the adoption of global best practices, complicating efforts to evolve. This combination of resource scarcity and cultural resistance results in operational inefficiency and reduced capacity. Consequently, crime rates are rising in various regions.
National Police Bureau is a silver lining in current circumstances: it is works on police reforms and modernization. Promoting a culture of respectful policing is our paramount aim at the NPB. It is essential to build the trust between police and public. Mending fractured relationship is our top priority. Community-oriented policing practices are to be encouraged. Reforms for procedural justice are underway. Differential reduction measures are important ingredient of the reform package. Report of the Police Reforms Committee (PRC), formed by the Supreme Court, contains a comprehensive package covering various aspects of policing in Pakistan based on best practices in criminal justice system. Its implementation will make a difference, I strongly believe.
Crime data will be made available to the police forces and governments to make informed policy choices. Analytics will be applied for holistic analyses. Crime combat strategies will be formulated and provided to police forces. Governments will be convinced to enhance budgets of their police forces to infuse technology in crime control techniques. A combination of human effort and technology will be adopted as a recipe for success.
Being Director General of National Police Bureau is a great honour for me. The NPB is a premier police organisation created as a statutory body under Police Order 2002. It functions as a permanent secretariat of the National Public Safety Commission and the National Police Management Board. It performs research and development functions as assigned to it by the NPSC and NPMB.
Police reforms is a continuous process. It is my duty to work for better policing practices in Pakistan. I’ll make strenuous efforts to enable police forces win public trust through respectful policing and effective public safety measures.
Regards,
Dr. Usman Anwar, PSP, HI, QPM
Director General