Thana culture

Unfortunately, our 'thanas' (police stations) have become so dreadful that no educated person or otherwise any sensible person likes to go there for the registration of his/her even genuine First Information Report (FIR) against an accused. The SHO and his/her staff, in most of the cases, not only don't register his/her complaint but also humiliate and degrade him/her (if he/she is a poor and common man/woman). Even if an FIR is registered, the complainant is compelled to give a huge bribe for it.

So, in order to make our police stations friendly, there is a need to change our thana culture whereby an SHO and his staff give respect to all the visiting complainants by listening to their complaints properly and registering them in the form of an FIR, for further necessary action. A complainant-friendly environment can be created in police stations only when the SHO and his staff is posted purely on merit. Politically appointed SHO serve the interests of their political masters besides taking bribes both from the complainants and the accused. Here, the role of a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of a district becomes paramount as to how he/she deals with such SHOs.

Abdul Samad Samo

Karachi