Two cases of manhandling of lawyers have been highlighted recently in the local press. The victims were allegedly abused and beaten up. In both the cases, the police publicly humiliated respectable citizens apparently on trifle. That has no justification and the offenders must be brought to book. The complaint against police misconduct is not the first nor will it be last. It is well recognized that the highhandedness of police is the main reason for the gulf of hatred between the police and public. Their incompetence, crass rudeness and abuse of power causes them to lose public support. The fact is this police force was created not with the purpose of helping the masses but to impose authority of the colonial rulers. No change is possible in their conduct unless the absolute powers granted to them under Criminal Procedures Code and the Police Act are repealed and replaced by people-oriented laws. But that has not been done and will never be done because it would make the present misrule impossible.-F.D. MASUOOD, Rawalpindi, via e-mail, April 25.