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Annexures 133academic paper which is useless unless enlightened officials present in the force take ownership of the new law andforce it into action. It was emphasised that in a large and feudal structure like Pakistan’s, police superiors will berequired to take certain bold actions if change is to be seen.There was criticism that often the police use politics as a scapegoat to cover up their internal indiscretions.For instance, the occurrence of SHOs being transferred every now and then is not solely due to the influence ofpoliticians. Within the police force as well there is corruption and nepotism resulting in unwarranted postings andtransfers. Executive Director of CPDI, Mr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ali noted that the police budget has tripled since 1999/2000 but there is rarely any indication of where the money is spent.It was highlighted by the group that there is a bottle neck in DPO offices where funds do not get transferredout to the necessary stations. Often, the funds are not utilized at all and the money that was allocated lapses becausethe police do not plan their expenditures. The necessity for improvements in transparency and accounting procedureswas highlighted at the consultative dialogue.On a question by Mr. Arshad Abdullah (Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs for NWFP) on whetherthe police have improved its efficiency since the police order 2002, Mr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ali (CPDI) said improvementsare marginal and that is why they are rarely discussed. He said, however, in recognition of the gradual erosion of thetraditional feudalism and demographic changes where rural people have become more mobile and 50% of familieshave at least one member of their family working in the cities, people are exposed to these issues more than ever andthey ask questions. Hence, despite only minor improvements to date, the reform of the police is not a losing battle.According to the group present at the consultation simple improvements to the layout of police stations tomake people feel comfortable, where currently people do not even have a place to sit, and the improved access toinformation are two areas that can be concentrated on to improve police service delivery.Irrespective of the implementation of the new law and creation of annual policing plans, it was argued thatthere is a lot that the police can achieve through an improvement in their own practices and modus operandi. Thepolice need to be made to realize that they are the main beneficiaries of change.ImprovementsDG Khosa stated that while a critique is necessary it is also important to focus on the recent improvementsmade by the police:Improvements in technical expertise towards investigative support. Implementation of an automatic finger print system has been integrated where all arrests are on anelectronic database. This is being maintained at the district, provincial and federal level. Creation of a police record management system to be completed by 31 December 2008.Establishment of forensic science labs at the provincial and federal level.There is evidence that senior officials, while concerned with improvements in high level systems andtechnology, are not to the same extent investing in improvements to the local level thaana with regards to better payand better training for district level police officials that would eventually result in improved service delivery toordinary citizens.Further improvements highlighted by the DG were:Annual policing plans to be made by Nazims and DPO in collaboration with provincial IGs.DPOs have received investigation funds so the public does not need to be asked for funds.National Police Management Board is now meeting twice a year.Powerlessness of Public Safety CommissionsThe police should be a purely professional organisation according to Advocate Mr. Muhmmad Irshad Chaudhry.