COMMUNITY POLICING: CHALLENGES FACED BY COMMUNITY POLICING COMMITTEES (CPCS) IN DISTRICT KOHAT, PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study assessed some of the major issues faced by the Community Policing Committees (CPCs) being at play at District level , in Khyber Paktunkhwa, Pakistan. These Committees operate as an organizational strategies of KP police to help materialize the Community Policing approach at grass-roots level. The main function of these Committees is police officers’ knowledge and attitude regarding community policing initiatives implemented by KP police through KP Police reforms Act, 2017. Community Policing (CP) is basically a foreign concept, emphasizing the proactive involvement of general public in policing strategies to prevent crime and maintaining peace in the society. The Program was introduced with the aim of bridging the trust deficit between the police and citizens and fostering greater citizen engagement through community policing committees and councils at the grassroots level. However, there is significant evidence manifesting that these initiatives have  yet to materialize as originally envisioned. This shortfall highlights the challenges in translating policy into practice and sustaining long-term community involvement. This study employs a case study design, interviewing 24 police officers chosen from the 11 police station through purposive sampling technique. After in-depth analysis of the primary data employing thematic analysis framework, it was revealed that the police officers’ lack of knowledge and low understanding level of the community policing approach,  and their non-supportive attitude towards the community policing committees/ councils was mainly instrumental in inhibiting the effectiveness of the Community Policing program in the District Kohat.

Keywords - Police officers, Community policing Committees, Knowledge, Attitude, community involvement, policy and practice