Children in custody

Editorial board

The latest incident of police brutality directed towards a small child reminds us that a great deal will have to be done if the police are to be reformed and made aware of their duty to protect citizens rather than to harm them. According to reports that are still being investigated, Raiwind police took into custody an eight-year-old child on Tuesday in Lahore and allegedly tortured this boy by forcing him to sit atop a heater, by hanging him upside down and by subjecting him to other forms of violence. The child was brought to the police by the owner of a mobile phone shop in Green Town who stated that he had been left at a shop while a person accompanying him walked away with two phones and said he would return them in a short while. The boy was left there to guarantee the safe return of the borrowed devices.

The story will of course have to e investigated. However, no matter what the details, the beating of a child cannot be justified. It simply highlights the fact that police brutality is endemic in the country. Using violence appears to be the only technique available to our police to acquire information. The incident at the Raiwind Police Station suggests that children are no exception to this rule, and those like the latest victim, who is reported to be poor and without a father, are most vulnerable to such mishandling. It is quite obvious that in the first place a new culture needs to be developed within the police force, one that makes brutality unacceptable. This is no doubt a difficult task. According to successive surveys carried out by Transparency International and other groups, the police are seen as the most brutal and corrupt institution in the country by persons surveyed in all major cities. To change police behaviour there is a need for far better education of police personnel at all levels. Their interactions with the public need to be identified and the methodology to be applied in various situations needs to be explained.

The example of the Motorway Police, praised for its behaviour and determination to enforce rules across the board, suggests that with proper training, better recruitment and improved salary structures it is possible to make a difference. Naturally, this will take time. However, it has to be made clear to all members of the police force that violence cannot be tolerated, all the more so when it is inflicted on a helpless child. The incident that took place in Lahore is harrowing. It must never be repeated.