Public Eye

Police Reform: An Exchange of Experiences from South Asia

Over two days in late March 2007, fifty delegates from across government, police organisations, media, human rights institutions and civil society gathered in New Delhi, India, to attend a roundtable conference on policing in South Asia. The roundtable was facilitated by CHRI and provided the delegates with a forum to exchange experiences about police reform, examine current challenges and debates in the region, analyse existing mechanisms for police accountability and create a plan to catalyse and track police reform processes in the participating countries of South Asia.

The Indian Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon. Mr Shivraj Patil, opened the conference by welcoming all delegates and emphasising the importance of and his commitment to police reform in South Asia.

Delegates hailed from countries including India, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. During the conference, participants planned for higher levels of police accountability and reform throughout the South Asian region. Representatives agreed that the police must be an essential service and not a force, and that it is the duty of all South Asian governments to provide their populations with safety and security in accordance with the rule of law and human rights.

Over the two days, many facets of policing in the region were covered. Delegates from each country gave presentations on 'What's Happening in South Asia', there were many opportunities for open discussion, and workshops were held on issues such as the relationship between the police and the executive, police accountability, and the civilian oversight of police.

Ms Maja Daruwala, Director of CHRI, stated that the conference was an invaluable opportunity to reiterate the need for police reform and good policing in the region. "The people of South Asia have suffered for too long under brutal, regime style policing. The time has come for real change and a move toward reform - and we can see governments and police starting to take steps towards that change. In Bangladesh the government is embarking on a wholesale overhaul of the police laws and infrastructure. In India a drafting committee has put together a new Police Act, while the Supreme Court has required governments to implement accountability. In the Maldives, new laws are on their way, along with independent oversight mechanisms to ensure police accountability. In both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the governments are working towards transforming the police, and in Pakistan, this process is taking place across the criminal justice sector."

The delegates proposed several points of action. They called for governments to immediately initiate a process of systemic, transparent police reform and to make a strong public commitment to working towards policing that upholds human rights and democratic norms and values. Delegates also agreed that police reform should include credible selection, transfer and promotion arrangements for police, strengthened accountability mechanisms, better performance evaluation and monitoring and training and continual retraining of police personnel.

"We have the impetus for reform, we have the desire for reform, and we have the means for reform," affirmed Ms Daruwala, "Now what we need is demonstrations of serious political will to come from government and police leadership."