Politicized Policing in Pakistan: A Constructivist Study of Problems of Policing in Lahore

Abstract

Unable to exorcise its nightmarish traits inherited as colonial legacy, police in Punjab is still seen as a publicfrightening rather than a public-friendly organization, which continues to promote a sense of fear rather than security and wellbeing among the population. This image has perpetuated a widespread mistrust between police and the general masses. Reforms introduced in past were either not implemented properly or failed to improve policing. This constructivist study focuses on the lived experiences of different stakeholders in society and highlights different aspects of the phenomenon as understood and described by those stakeholders, highlighting public image of police, problems faced by police and their perceived reasons, views on previous reforms and hurdles in the way of their implementation, and suggestions for improvement.