It is important for the citizenry to know the role and duties of police in Pakistan. The traditional reputation of police is not the best in our country and this needs to be improved immediately.
The duties that are bestowed on police must be openly campaigned about so that people can understand their rights and know what they can demand of their protecting officers.
Unless the citizens are not made aware of the role of police in Pakistan, the trust deficit between the public and the police will not be minimised.
The role of the police has always been to protect the interests of the average citizen. The police provides a number of services that do not involve just handing out traffic challans.
When you need to be fingerprinted for a job, you go to a law enforcement agency. When you need someone to come to your house in the middle of the night to find out what that noise is in your garage, you contact the police.
Hence, there is much more to their job then policing checkposts. The citizens should know when and where they can contact the police so that they can ask for help in a timely fashion.
ERAJ DANISH
Islamabad
