Islamabad : Even after 75 years of our independence, training still remains the grey area of police and other civil services. Whenever there is a serious security lapse or a major mishap in law and order, the media highlights the flawed training in the training institutions of police, which remains the focus of attention for a few days, but after that, the police officers forget and forgive everything. Training has never been the top priority of police leadership. The top bureaucrats admit the “training of armed forces is far superior to ours and the major reason is that they send their best officers to serve in the training institutions, whereas in the civil services, the officers who come on the wrong side of the rulers, or the OSDs are sent to the training institutions.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan posted the Principal Secretary of his own choice, so the previous secretary became OSD, who after a few days, was posted as head of the Civil Services Academy. The heads of police training institutions are also posted in a similar manner. How can such officers who lack capacity and passion, improve the quality of training. The prime ministers should choose the best officer from the police service for posting as the Commandant of the National Police Academy. But even political leadership gives the least importance to training. Many interior ministers never bothered even to visit National Police Academy Islamabad to discuss the training issues. In the past, many Commandants considered and used their posting just as parking space, kept the status quo, followed the routine, and never took pains to improve the quality of training for the Assistant Superintendents of Police.
But the present Commandant A.D. Khawaja and Course Commander Omer Riaz are making genuine efforts to improve training. In this connection, they have included in the list of their guest speakers, only those senior and retired Police Officers who are looked up to as role models and who were able to bring a real change wherever they served.
Former Inspector General and the role model of all civil services Zulfiqar Cheema was also invited to address the under training ASPs on “Traits of a good police officer”. Contrary to the traditional guest speakers, he gave a straight talk and told some bitter realities also. He told them that despite positive public perception about ASPs, the rate of honest and upright officers is not more than 25%, which is extremely alarming. He told them that “Honesty is the basic trait and the first and foremost requirement of a good civil servant. If a corrupt police officer receives illegal money he also loses the dignity of his profession immediately. He loses the trust and respect of the general public as well as his own subordinates. The subordinates of a corrupt police officer, in their private meetings, use abusive language toward their commander. Lust for money renders the command of graft-ridden officers so weak that they cannot accomplish any important task. A corrupt police officer no more remains a protector of citizens rather he becomes a predator and a threat to the citizen’s security”.
Zulfiqar Cheema shared with the trainees some audio/video leaks where some SHOs and some young Sub-Inspectors commented about the corrupt ASPs while talking to each other, they also cast aspersions on the families and parents of corrupt officers. They were speaking about a dishonest ASP with regrettable remarks against his integrity which were not against one ASP but abuse of entire police officers who joined the police department to eradicate the corruption from the society.
Former IGP, speaking to the under training ASPs, told them that for a police officer, ‘impartiality’ is as important as honesty. An officer who opts to serve the political interests of the rulers or supports the ruling party candidates in by-elections is dishonest, even if he is financially clean. He told the trainee officers that “honest and impartial officers are the real pride of not only the police service but of the entire nation. For not accepting unlawful orders, if they are transferred, the people come out on the streets and bazaars and markets are shut to protest against their transfers”.
The straight talk of Zulfiqar Cheema, who devoted his life as a police officer to uphold the law and abolishing the crime and criminal activities from the society, has certainly opened the eyes of the young police officers and they would seriously think about whether to remain honest and become the pride of the nation or to make money and become a predator.
