'Pakistani Police Underfunded, Overwhelmed', USA Today, 5 November 2009
EXCERPT: "Just how underfunded are Pakistan's police? Police barricades in the city of Lahore carry the logo of the snack-food company, Tasty, that sponsors the local force. The police academy is brought to you in part by the U-Fone telecommunication company. New recruits are limited to 40 bullets on the firing range before they're put on active duty — a quarter of what they need, says Mubashar Ullah, Lahore's senior police superintendent. Even veteran cops often earn $200 a month — less than half as much as foot soldiers for the Taliban and other militant groups, according to Nasir Aftab, superintendent of police in western Islamabad. The lack of money, abysmal morale and a high desertion rate help explain why Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents have recently been able to gain strength and grab territory from Pakistan's government, say experts such as Hassan Abbas, a former police official who is a research fellow at Harvard University. He calls the police one of the country's 'most poorly managed organizations,' even though they are often closer to the front lines in combating terrorism, and better at collecting intelligence, than their counterparts in Pakistan's powerful — and much better-funded — military."
Read the full story.
Related articles:
Note on U.S. aid for Pakistan law enforcement [press release], America.gov, 28 October 2009
Siege at Pakistan police academy, BBC News, 30 March 2009
"Police reforms: Agenda of change" [op-ed], Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, 4 March 2008
Related reports:
Realigning Pakistan's security forces, Council on Foreign Relations, 18 June 2009
Related posts:
UNODC trains Pakistani counter-terrorism officials, 26 November 2009
Security forces need capacity building: PM, 20 November 2009
