NEW YORK - Pakistan needs to build a police system free from political interference as part of the much-needed reforms aimed at making the force capable of effectively combating the growing organised crime and terrorists, a new American report said.“Urgent steps are required to render the police force professionally competent, operationally neutral, functionally cohesive and organisationally responsible for all of its actions,” the report produced by an Independent Commission set up by the New York-based Asia Society said. The Commission was made up of experts from both Pakistan and the United States.“No police force can hope to be accepted by the public as a true professional organisation committed to upholding the rule of law unless its officers are genuinely free from political, religious, ethnic and racial biases and have a reputation for enforcing the law fairly and justly, especially when faced with difficult circumstances,” it said.In the lengthy report, the Commission called for Pakistan to step up police training and carry out structural reforms to boost the force’s skills and reduce corruption. It also recommended better salaries and working conditions as well as provision of modern equipment to enable the force to perform its duties more effectively. “Police reform is one of the greatest challenges confronting Pakistan. It is a challenge that can and must be met,” the report said. “An overhaul of the current system of promoting and hiring police would help to ensure reasonable and fair opportunities for advancement,” it said. “This system must be transparent and free from political interference.”Hassan Abbas, the Commission’s Project Director and a professor at the National Defence University in Washington, said Pakistan’s police force must work to address the rising crime rates and the deteriorating law and order situation in an effort to improve its image and credibility.“An efficient, well-functioning civilian police service is also critical to counterinsurgency and counterterrorism efforts in Pakistan now and in the future,” he said. Abbas, a former Pakistan police officer who is also senior adviser to Asia Society, also said that international assistance could help Islamabad conduct police reforms.“The role, duties and responsibilities of the police must be oriented in a manner in which the service function is prioritised and the prevention and detection of crime is viewed as having a social purpose,” it said.“The reform strategy should also seek to solicit the support and cooperation of the people.”Some of the recommendations made in the lengthy report are:*Police Order 2002 must be implemented, with minor amendments, throughout Pakistan to ensure that the country is governed by a clear and uniform set of rules. It should be extended to Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in due course. A “Commissionerate” system of policing can also be considered.*The leadership of the FIA should be authorised to pursue complaints made against federal employees, regardless of their rank or status. The agency must be empowered to handle cases in anti-corruption, terrorism financing, money laundering, cybercrime, and intellectual property rights.*Ensuring tenure security for all federal and provincial police chiefs, in addition to the heads of FIA, National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), and the Intelligence Bureau, would help to minimise political pressure on these offices.*Modification of the Evidence Act and High Court Rules is essential to convening incognito trials, maintaining the protection of the identity of witnesses, and facilitating a simpler procedure for the admissibility of modern types of evidence.*To check police corruption, the federal govt should establish an independent police complaint authority under the leadership of a reputable retired Supreme Court/High Court judge.*An improvement in working conditions and salaries and changes to organisational culture would help to create a force that is respected by the people and thus is more effective in maintaining security and stability. The success of the National Highways and Motorway Police is particularly instructive in this respect.*Training and curriculum throughout the police academies should be revamped to address the needs of vulnerable groups, including women, children, and minorities.*A special cadre of terrorism investigators with the expertise and resources that police currently lack must be created.*The de-radicalisation programme must be expanded and strengthened, giving the police a lead role.*Strengthened cooperation between the military and police would better enable Pakistan’s civilian law enforcement bodies to take responsibility for internal security.*Heavy Industries Taxila and the Pakistan Ordnance Factories, both of which are closely associated with Pakistan’s Armed Forces and defence industry, can assist police by providing custom-built vehicles, equipment, and weapons such as Armoured Personnel Carriers.*An improved institutional relationship between the United Nations and Pakistan will enable the latter to utilise its officers with UN peacekeeping operations experience in a more effective way.*The private sector should be encouraged to contribute to enhancing coordination between the public and police through institutions such as the Citizen-Police Liaison Centre (CPLC) in Karachi.*The government and the private sector should dedicate greater resources to expand quantitative and statistical research on the causes of terrorism.*Police must be provided with the technology needed to combat criminals and terrorists.*The government must undertake drastic structural reforms to permanently end tension between the police and Levies Force in Balochistan. More locals should be employed as police in Balochistan instead of establishing more law enforcement training facilities in the province.*Women should be encouraged to join the police.