Reforming the Sindh police
 

TALKING big is one thing, delivering on promises quite another. It is all too common in this country for politicians and public servants to say what is expedient and then renege on their pledges or ignore their commitments. But Shoaib Suddle is neither a politician nor a run-of-the-mill officer of the state, and as such he will be held to a higher standard when it comes to matching words with deeds. On Saturday, Sindh’s provincial police officer detailed his plans to “enforce ruthless accountability” in a police force that, in his words, is facing a “serious internal crisis” due to “years of politicisation and criminalisation”. PPO Suddle certainly has his work cut out for him. Armed criminals are running rampant in Sindh and there is a growing sense of insecurity in both urban and rural areas. Though widely respected, Mr Suddle also has powerful enemies who are expected to make his tenure as rocky as possible.

His greatest challenge, however, will come from within. The Sindh police, like its counterparts elsewhere in the country, is set in its ways and arresting decades of degeneration is a mammoth and unenviable task. But it is time someone cracked the whip and we hope Mr Suddle will succeed where those who preceded him failed. No one expects a complete transformation and any headway made in tackling police corruption, inefficiency and apathy would be laudable. According to the PPO there will be “zero tolerance” for corruption, the performance of police officers will be reviewed on a weekly basis, and external (read political) pressure will have no bearing on transfers, postings and promotions. Ten thousand new recruits a year have been promised but a larger force with the same work ethic — for which poor pay is partially responsible — will serve no purpose whatsoever. The PPO will also need to take cognizance of how the local government system has changed the situation on the ground, with area notables even more powerful now because of their political clout. Then there is VIP and guard duty which is a major drain on resources. How can there be any justification for thousands of policemen protecting only the influential? Mr Suddle has apparently set up a special section under his supervision that will hear public complaints, but he would also do well to streamline and publicise the workings of the provincial Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission. Clearly, the new PPO will need all the help he can muster.