Measures in Improvement of General Criminal Administration System: Shahid Rashid

The criminal justice administration system refers to the system used by the government to maintain social control, enforce laws, and administer justice. It has become a basic necessity in every society as an ally of the State in the maintenance of law and order. Emphasizing the need of a co-ordinate set-up for the smooth functioning of the judiciary, administration, police and representative democratic institutions mentioning solutions based on short -term as well as long-term approach.

Short-Term Approach

 The short-term approach proposes no basic structural changes in the existing system of criminal administration. Its emphasis is on allocation of adequate budgetary resources, rationalization of police-population ratio and improvement in policing style through the institutionalization of community policing punctuated by a sound media' policy and revival of the "pantheist" system in conjunction with the activation of the role of local village officials like "Numberdars" /"Chowkidars" and adoption of a sound strategy of crime control on the pattern of measures adopted by the Punjab police during the period form 20 June, 1991 to I June, 1993.

Long-Term Approach

 The long-term approach includes the preparation of preparation of Five Years Plans (as was done in the Punjab in 1991-92) encompassing traffic management, training, transport and communications, arms modernization, modernization of equipment and logistic, constitution of a police technical cadre, modernization of investigative aids, detective training school, modern aid and equipment for scientific investigation, police buildings, manpower and morale, separation of investigation from watch and ward, strengthening of sub-divisional command, Judicial lockups at sub divisional level, induction at S.I. level with minimum academic qualification of a graduate, encouragement of private detective and security agencies and police morale boosting.

 The proposals should be made for improving the functioning of the prosecution agency, courts, prisons and medico-legal services. It further touches on the issue of the international dimension of crime and proposes a mechanism for co-operation amongst democratic countries against terrorism.

Objectives of Criminal Justice System (with special reference to Pakistan)

Criminal Justice refers to the agencies of government charged with enforcing law, adjudicating crime, and correcting criminal conduct
 The criminal justice system is essentially an instrument of social control: society considers some behaviors so dangerous and destructive that it either strictly controls their occurrence or outlaws them outright. It is the job of the agencies of justice to prevent these behaviors by apprehending and punishing transgressors or deterring their future occurrence. Although society maintains other forms of social control, such as the family, school, and church, they are designed to deal with moral, not legal, misbehavior. Only the criminal justice system has the power to control crime and punish criminals.

So, the main objectives of the criminal justice system can be categorized as follows:
# To prevent the occurrence of crime.
# To punish the transgressors and the criminals.
# To rehabilitate the transgressors and the criminals.
# To compensate the victims as far as possible.
# To maintain law and order in the society.
# To deter the offenders from committing any criminal act in the future.

Of late, the relevance of our criminal justice system- both substantive and procedural- a replica of the British colonial jurisprudence, is being seriously questioned. Perhaps the criminal judicial system is based on the laws that are arbitrary and operate to the disadvantages of the poor. They have always come across as law for the poor rather than law of the poor. It operates on the weaker sections of the community, notwithstanding constitutional guarantee to the contrary.

There are hardly any people to advocate for the new laws to help the poor, there are practically none to pressurize the government and the legislature to amend the laws to protect the week and the poor. Even after five decades of independence, no serious efforts have been made to redraft penal norms, radicalize punitive processes, humanize prison houses and make anti-social and anti-national criminals etc. incapable of escaping the legal coils.

The criminal justice system is cumbersome, expensive and cumulatively disastrous. The poor can never reach the temple of justice because of heavy costs involved in gaining access and the mystique of legal ethos. The hierarchy of courts, with appeals after appeals, puts legal justice beyond the reach of the poor. Making the legal process costlier is an indirect denial of justice to the people and this hit hard on the lowest of the low in society. In fact, the legal system has lost its credibility for the weaker section of the community.

Of course, the judiciary in recent years has taken a lead and has come forward with a helping hand to give some relief to the victims of criminal justice in a limited way.

Some of the recent developments that have taken place during the last few years in our judicial delivery system to seek redress and accord justice to the poor are worth mentioning. The importance of these developments to the delivery system of justice can’t be ignored. They have revolutionized our judicial jurisprudence and will go a long way in giving relief to the large masses and the common man.

In view of the importance of the subject matter, it is proposed to explain in brief some of the important areas of the criminal justice system that have attracted the attention of the courts in recent years. These are:
1. Public interest litigation.
2. Bail justice jurisprudence.
3. Prison justice.
4. Compensation to the victims.
5. Legal aid and legal services.

Public Interest Litigation

Public interest has its origin in the United States. It was during the 1960s that public interest litigation emerges as a part of the legal aid movement primarily aimed at protecting the rights of the weaker sections of the community, such as the women, children, physically and mentally handicapped and the like.

In Pakistan during the last few years, a new wave of public interest litigation has struck the courts. It is being argued I some quarters that public interest litigation has opened a floodgate of litigation and by such action, the Pakistan judiciary seems to be projecting itself as the upholder of the freedom of people.

This over act of the judiciary is regarded as nothing but interference in the action of the executive, which is making a good and effective government impossible. It is pointed out that the judiciary might collide head on with the other organs of the State-the executive and the legislature- in which event, being the weakest, it would collapse.

Bail Justice System

Bail is a generic term used to mean judicial release from custodia legis. The right to bail- the right to be released from jail in a criminal case, after furnishing sufficient security and bond- has been recognized in every civilized society as a fundamental aspect of human rights. This is based on the principle that the object of a criminal proceeding is to secure the presence of the accused charged of a crime at the time of the inquiry, trial and investigation before the court, and to ensure the availability of the accused to serve the sentence, if convicted. It would be unjust and unfair to deprive a person of his freedom and liberty and keep him in confinement, if his presence in the court, whenever required for trial, is assured.

Prison Justice

Justice delayed is justice denied. This is more so in criminal cases where the liberty of an individual is at stake and in jeopardy. The irony of fate is that in all such cases, it is the poor and the week who are the victims of the criminal justice system, and not the rich who are able to get away.

The plight of under trial prisoners for the first time came to the notice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1998, wherein it was disclosed that thousands of under trial prisoners were languishing in various jails in the Pakistan for periods longer than the maximum term for which they could have been sentenced, if convicted. While granting a character of freedom for under trials who had virtually spent their period of sentences, the court said their detention was clearly illegal and was in violation of their fundamental rights guaranteed under Art.21 of the Constitution of India. The court further said that speedy trial is a constitutional mandate and the State can’t avoid its constitutional mandate and its constitutional obligation by pleading financial or administrative inability.

There is however, hardly any change in the condition of the jails and the attitude of the jail administration, and in spite of constitutional mandate for speedy trial, there are over eighty thousands prisoners, convicts and under trials who are endlessly awaiting an early hearing of their cases.

It may be noted that the liberal remissions and grant of frequent paroles to the prisoners to spend time with their families would help to inculcate self confidence in prisoners and reduce the intensity of some of the prison vices. Unless there is introspection the part of all concerned with the criminal justice system, issues relating to jail reforms, improvement in the prisoner’s condition, and better administration of justice will continue to remain on paper. It is possible to reduce the backlog of criminal cases if the judiciary and lawyers together resolve to refrain from unnecessary and repeated adjournment.

Compensation to Victims of Crime

Criminal law, which reflects the social ambitions and norms of the society, is designed to punish as well as to reform the criminals, but it hardly takes any notice of by product of crime- i.e. its victim.

The poor victims of crime are entirely overlooked in misplaced sympathy for the criminal. The guilty man is lodged, fed, clothed, warmed, lighted, and entertained in a model cell at the expense of the state, from the taxes that the victim pays to the treasury. And, the victim, instead of being looked after, is contributing towards the care of prisoners during his stay in the prison. In fact, it is a weakness of our criminal jurisprudence that the victims of crime don’t attract due attention.

The code of criminal procedure, and Probation of Offenders Act, empowers the court to provide compensation to the victims of crime. However it is noted with regret that the courts seldom resort to exercising their powers liberally. No doubt in recent years, the Supreme Court and High Courts by invoking Art.21 of the Constitution have tried to give some compensatory relief to the poor victims of illegal detention at the hands of the executive. Such cases are, however, numbered and are not going to solve the malady.

Suggestions

Criminal Justice System in Pakistan requires a strong second look.
The criminal investigation system needs higher standards of professionalism and it should be provided adequate logistic and technological support. Serious offences should be classified for purpose of specialized investigation by specially selected, trained and experienced investigators. They should not be burdened with other duties like security, maintenance of law and order etc., and should be entrusted exclusively with investigation of serious offences.

The number of Forensic Science Institutions with modern technologies such as DNA fingerprinting technology should be enhanced. The system of plea-bargaining should be introduced as part of the process of decriminalization.

The greatest asset of the police in investigation of crimes and maintenance of law and order is the confidence of the people. Today, such public confidence is at the lowest ebb. The police are increasingly losing the benefit of this asset of public confidence. Hard intelligence in investigations comes from public cooperation. If police are seen as violators of law themselves or if they abuse their powers for intimidation and extortion, public develop an attitude of revulsion and the onerous duties and responsibilities that the police shoulder become more onerous and difficult.

In order that citizen’s confidence in the police administration is enhanced, the police administration in the districts should periodically review the statistics of all the arrests made by the police in the district and see as to in how many of the cases in which arrests were made culminated in the filing of charge-sheets in the court and how many of the arrests were ultimately turned out to be unnecessary. This review will check the tendency of unnecessary arrests. Some statistics indicate that in some districts in the country, nearly 80% of the arrests were made in respect of bailable offences.

The legal services authorities in the provinces should set up committees with the participation of civil society for bringing the accused and the victims together to work out compounding of offences

REFERENCES

1)     IMPACT OF LAWLESSNESS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ROLE OF EFFECTIVE POLICING “ A CASE STUDY OF PAKISTAN 1969 to 1993” BY DR.AZHAR HASSAN NADEEM (FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE PUNJAB).

2)    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CRIME & CRIMINALS USA.

3)    WIKIPEDIA, ARTICLE BY DAVID CAMERON ON COMPARATIVE STUDY ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

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HUMAN RESOURCES AND POLICING

The quality of welfare and training given to the police personnel has significant

impact on their operational efficiency and behavioral integrity. Therefore, the

 concerned authorities should give serious attention to the provision of appropriate and adequate welfare and training of the police. In this domain, I am discussing the various elements of welfare and training as components of human resource management. I apply the insight from the discussion to the analysis of training and welfare, including their challenges and imperatives in the governance of the “Police Force”.

In order to contextualize the discussion on human resources management, we

provide an overview of the functions and powers of the “Police Force”.

Functions & Powers

• Prevention and detection of crime

• Apprehension of offenders

• Preservation of law and order

• Protection of life and property

• Enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are charged

Human Resources Management

Broadly, human resources management consists of the following interrelated

processes and activities:

• Determining required quantity, quality and composition of personnel

• Recruiting new employees

• Training new and serving employees

• Deploying or assigning personnel to tasks

• Remunerating and motivating staff

• Disciplining erring personnel

• Determining or negotiating and managing retirement processes and

benefits

The overall aim of HRM is to ensure that an organization realizes it goals or

objectives with optimal effectiveness and efficiency through proper mobilization

of human resources. The key components of human resources management are

personnel planning, recruitment, training and development, utilization,

performance evaluation, compensation and welfare.

Human resources management (HRM) is aimed at realizing

 (a) effectiveness and efficiency of employees in organization, an

 (b) satisfaction for the employee.

Generally, human resources management begins with and revolves around

manpower planning, which involves

 (a) analysis of employees required by an organization for its various tasks, and

(b) identifying and evaluating how an organization’s need can be met through recruitment, employee training(internally and externally), employee incentives and discipline and deployment of personnel.

If in the “Police Force”, these chains of decisions and activities would be disconnected. As a result, training does not translate to appropriate employees’ deployment and organizational effectiveness.

Training, the core element of HRM refers to the process of

(a) developing the competence of an individual in relation to specific tasks, and

(b) changing or enhancing the attitudes, dispositions and behavior of individuals through exposure to new information, technology and practice.

 The principal aim of training is to improve the competence of an individual. In organizational setting, training may be on –the- job or off-the job.

Training should be determined by work force need analysis and planning (manpower planning). Manpower planning, an important element of human resources management, involves constant evaluation or projection of needed manpower in the future, developing plans to attract and retain employees, allocating employees to task, training and motivating employees. Following these steps enables an organization to meet its need for efficient workers and to satisfy employees need for job satisfaction and welfare.

In the “Police Force”, training does not take into account:

1. The need of the Force in specific tasks and expertise

2. The skill and interest of officers

3. The need to match skills acquired in the course of training with deployment thereafter

4. Requisite infrastructure, facilities and supplies for effective use of skills acquired by officers during training for the purpose of efficiency in the Force and career advancement of the personnel

These gaps between training, skills, deployment and career advancement would be engendered the view in the Force that training is worthless to both the organization and the officers. Officers asked to proceed on leave sometimes try to avoid it because they see it as deprivation. Similarly, staff posted to training institutions as directing staff or instructors grumble and allege victimization. These unwholesome attitudes toward training and training institutions have adverse effects on the performance of the Force, in part because it breeds antiintellectualism and anti-professionalism.

Enhancing Training in the “Police Force”

There are six related processes in human resources management. They are:

• Training policy and planning

• Training need analysis

• Designing and evaluating training delivery methods

• Implementation of training programmes

• Evaluation of training implementation or delivery, and

• Evaluation of the impact of training on the competence of employees and the efficiency of an organization in the short, medium and long run

Training Need Analysis (TNA) refers to the method of assessing the training programmes that are necessary to fill the gap between required and available skills within an organization generally and at all levels. Thus, training need analysis addresses what training an organization should provide its staff in order to remain effective, efficient and competitive. Training need analysis involves the following:

• Identification of gaps in skills within organization or its functionalunits;

• Identify individuals lacking skills required for their current, new or prospective job within the organization;

• Identify employees lacking skills but who possess the capability to

acquire needed skills through training;

• Identify appropriate training that meets the need of filling the gap in

required skills.

In order to develop and maintain appropriate training programmes in the” Police Force’ that will meet the needs of the organization and individual employees, the

following steps should be taken:

1. The training needs of the Force should be determined. For example, the core functions of the police are crime prevention, crime control, law enforcement, prosecution and assistance to citizens in distress. Crime control and prevention, and law enforcement require skills in surveillance, intelligence and investigation. Therefore, there should be

emphasis on the training of officers in these core areas. Effective training in these areas requires adequate forensic and surveillance facilities (communication, transportation, electronic monitoring devices, including CCTV for cities) in the country. This is not the case at present. Further, facilities and competences in routine aids to intelligence and

investigation like handwriting, ballistic and fingerprinting analyses are currently lacking. There is need to undertake training needs analysis in the light of the functions of the police and expected level of efficiency. The findings should guide training policy and programmes.

2. Training policy and planning: Training policy deals with a range of questions. How many people should be trained? Who should be trained? What are people being trained to do? How are people to be trained? Where are people to be trained? Who are the prospective trainers? How long will training last? What certifications are to be provided? What resources are required for training? How will the resources for training be mobilized? Where will the beneficiaries of the training programmes be deployed to enable them apply newly acquired skills? How will the impact of the training and trainees on organizational effectives be determined? The development of appropriate guidelines as well as decisions on these issues constitutes training policy.

3. Curricula: Curriculum development is important. In police-work, curriculum should be designed through a multi-disciplinary approach. This means that experts from different fields combining theory and practice should design the curriculum for the different courses. The core curricula for the training of police officers should emphasize skill required for efficiency in their core functions without neglecting the understanding of the factors in environment that impact on police efficiency, integrity and legitimacy.

4. Designing and evaluating training delivery methods: Training should be

designed to provide the skills and competencies needed for specific tasks. The content of training must be amenable to measurable knowledge outcomes. Curriculum should contain appropriate and adequate information and exercises for the acquisition of different type of skills that are necessary for police efficiency and integrity.

5. Implementation of training programmes: There should be scrupulous implementation of training programmes. Courses should be properly organized and managed. There should be appropriate and adequate instructors and instruction materials.

6. Monitoring and evaluation of training implementation or delivery: Training should be monitored and evaluated in relation to training policy and expected training outcomes in the curricula. There is need to evaluate the impact or training on competence of employees and efficiency of organization in the short, medium and long run. Training policy and programmes should be integrated with manpower flow.

There are three major dimensions of human resource flow:

(a) Inflow of employees – employee selection and recruitment;

(b) Through-flow of employees – promotion and horizontal or lateral

movements or transfers of employees, and

(c) Outflow of employees – redundancy, resignation, dismissal and

retirement

Recruitment and training in the “Police Force” should ensure that manpower flow is managed so that there is the right mix of staff that can function with optimal efficiency. In recent years, there have been reports of the retirement of aged personnel responsible for ballistic, fingerprint and handwriting analysis without corresponding replacements resulting in dearth of personnel in those critical fields.

Training has many benefits, including:

• Availability of highly skilled personnel within an organization;

• Increased effectiveness and efficiency as a result of mutual reinforcement of experience and improved skills acquired through job-related training;

• Increase employee job satisfaction and career development

The Police Authorities in collaboration with the Training Directorate of the “Police Force” need to review current training programmes and curricula in the Force in order to streamline them with the foregoing enumerated principles of training.

The following measures should be adopted to enhance welfare in the “Police Force”:

(a) Develop explicit rules and guidelines on operations and behaviors and their enforcement. The government should review The Police Regulations with a view to providing clear and appropriate guidelines for operations and conducts.

(b) Promotion should be determined by performance. There should be impartial and prompt enforcement of penalties against breaches of the Police Regulations

(c) Decent working condition should be guaranteed. Adequate working tools and facilities, working space, convenience (water, toilet) should be provided. Most police formations and stations lack working tools, including stationery, working space, toilet facilities and other conveniences.

(d) Police officers deserve adequate remuneration, especially salary and allowances. The remunerations of the police should reflect the dangers and inconveniences associated with their tasks. Further, salaries of the police should be reviewed every three years.

(e) Officers should be deployed on the basis of their competence and to areas where they are likely to be most effective and efficient.

(f) Provision of uniform and accoutrement: Due to inadequate plan for the supply of police uniform and accoutrement, the police would be poorly clothed and equipped. This deficiency affects the performance and public image of the police.

(g) Transportation and communication are critical for the efficiency of

security and intelligence personnel. These facilities are grossly inadequate and negatively impact on the performance and morale of the officers and the Force

(h) Housing: Barrack accommodation is useful in the country because it

facilitates mobilization. However, accommodation for the police is grossly

inadequately and existing ones are in general state of disrepair

(i) Health care: Police officers need access to efficient health care services, given the risk of violence and disabilities they face in the course of their work. In addition, insurance for risks of injury and death is necessary as a measure to enhance performance and morale of officers

(j) Prompt payment of severance benefits and regular payment of pensions enhance morale and motivate performance.

Gender Responsive Policing

Gender refers to the roles and relationships, personality traits, attitudes, behaviors and values that society ascribes to men and women. ‘Gender’ therefore refers to learned differences between men and women, while ‘sex’ refers to the biological differences between males and females. Gender roles vary widely within and across cultures, and can change over time. Gender refers not simply to women or men but also to the relationship between them.

Working Definition of Gender-responsive Community-based Policing

A working definition of gender-responsive community-based policing can be

formulated as a partnership approach between police and the public. It is building on strong trust relationships in which the police are seen as supporting members of the community. It is an organizational strategy, which allows the police and community to work together in new ways to solve problems of crime, disorder and safety, and it is a part of law enforcement and access to justice approach with focus on crime prevention and control mechanism.

Specific Objective

Gender-responsive community-based policing is implemented as prevention

strategy against violence and crime, by selected communities, in partnership with key stakeholders.

Existing community-based policing highlight the following issues:

_ Potential for gender-responsive community-based policing exists, though

further clarity is needed amongst practitioners on in what that constitutes or what its basic principles are.

_ It can be a powerful mechanism to promote basic citizenship issues and

achieve human rights of women, vulnerable and excluded groups of people.

_ Sustainability issues, particularly in NGO-led community policing initiatives, require considerable attention.

_ Baselines for assessing impact do not exist in a consistent manner in NGO-led community-based policing initiatives.

Gender-responsive community-based policing is:

· A partnership approach between police and the public built on respect of local diversity and context using mechanisms that ensure that the safety and security needs of the community members – especially the vulnerable groups – are addressed.

· Building on strong trust, relationships in which the police and the police

department are seen as supporting members of the community.

· An organizational strategy that allows the police and community to work together in new ways to solve problems of crime, disorder and safety.

· A part of law enforcement and access to justice approach with focus on crime prevention and control mechanism.

So, the ultimate goals of gender-responsive community policing are to:

· Make communities a better and safer place for all their members.

· Contribute towards making the police force a more professional, responsive and accountable institution.

Gender Responsive Policing and Pakistan

Today, circumstances witnessed that how police organizations in Pakistan continue to be insensitive to the protection of the women. Even with over 60 years of policing history, the forces in this land are still only touching bare minimum standards of gender-balanced policing

There are many reasons for the present state of affairs. Policies regarding the hiring of women police officers are inconsistent, with each province going its separate way. While a quota has been ensured for women to join the police service through what we call ‘affirmative action’, the actual hiring has been slow and gradual. Sons of police martyrs are automatically inducted to the force, showing overwhelming male dominance.

Police training colleges have very few female instructors. The training syllabus makes no mention of important legislative mechanisms such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2004. No serious effort has been made to revise the curriculum. The average constable remains insensitive to the protection and security needs of women. Even though women police stations have been established in many districts, they remain understaffed. Many of these police stations, especially in Sindh, have no legal mandate which leaves the female staff at these units clamoring for a better workplace environment. Cases of violence against women including sexual assault, rape, acid throwing, domestic abuse and, most notably, honor killings continue. The response of the police has been far less than desirable.

Yet all is not lost. Despite the lack of coherent policy, some brilliant performances have also been witnessed. Many women in rural Sindh have been taken into protective custody by the police through well-coordinated, proactive action. Investigations of cases of honor killing have been professionally handled as far as the arrest of the accused is concerned. The Sindh police have partnered actively with the Gender Justice Unit of the UNDP and actively administered an anti karo-kari project last year, focused on creating a database and a training manual for police officers, showing them methods of handling and investigating karo-kari cases. However, much remains to be done. What we need is a central policy geared towards making police organizations more gender responsive from within the organization and also for victims and their families. Police organizations should realize that security concerns for both men and women require different protection policies. They need to see women as beneficial of improving security and law and order, and only then will they be able to formulate policies that ensure the mainstreaming of women into the police. These steps could then ensure an effective strategy for properly addressing the issues of gender-based violence in which women are often victims.

Opportunities for the integration of gender issues

_ National attention and financial support can influence the reform process to be sensitive to the needs of men and women, particularly provincial police forces acting as role models.

_ Altered gender roles and social structures provide a space for more women to consider the police as a professional opportunity.

_ Extensive reform of the police service provides the opportunity to set targets for female recruitment, vet recruits for GBV, and integrate gender issues into new policies and protocols, operational programming and training.

_ There may be an increased number of women available for employment with the police – including women heading and supporting households, and female former combatants.

_ Due to the high levels of GBV in conflict and post-conflict environments, there may be impetus to set up specialized units to address violence against women and children.

Representative police service

_ Creating a police service that is representative of the population it seeks to serve – in terms of ethnicity, sex, religion, language, tribal affiliation etc. – increases the credibility, trust and legitimacy of the service in the eyes of the public.

_ A representative police service increases operational effectiveness, through access to a broad range of skills, experiences, education and culture, which maximizes the ability to deliver local solutions to local problems.

_ Women often bring specific skills and strengths to police work, such as the ability to defuse potentially violent situations, minimize the use of force and employ good communication skills. In certain contexts, female officers are necessary to perform the cordon and search of women, widen the net of intelligence gathering and assist victims of GBV.

_ Globally, men are currently greatly over-represented in the police service. Specific initiatives are therefore needed to increase the recruitment, retention and advancement of female personnel.

Non-discriminatory and human rights promoting police service

_ Eliminating discrimination and human rights violations, such as sexual harassment and rape, by police personnel against civilians and co-workers will help create an effective and productive work environment.

_ Discriminatory attitudes of police personnel can prevent equal access to police services. In many countries, women report that the police are insensitive and may fail to adequately investigate gender-based crimes. Gender responsive policies, protocols and capacity building can increase police professionalism and access to police services.

Gender-sensitive policies, protocols and procedures

_ Develop and implement specific protocols/procedures to investigate, prosecute and support victims of GBV.

_ Establish gender-responsive codes of conduct and policies on discrimination, sexual harassment and violence perpetrated by police officers, and internal and external reporting mechanisms that can receive complaints.

_ Vet police recruits for histories of GBV, including domestic violence.

_ Create incentive structures to award gender-responsive policing along with respect for human rights.

_ Review operational frameworks, protocols, and procedures with:

a) Existing women’s police associations and other police personnel associations to identify the current situation and reforms required.

b) Community policing boards, civil society organizations, including women’s groups and survivors of violence, to identify needed reforms and to ensure that protocols and procedures are responsive to community needs.

Women’s police stations/domestic violence units

_ Consider establishing women’s police stations or specific units on GBV in order to encourage more victims to file complaints and improve police responses to GBV

Gender training

_ Integrate gender issues into the basic training given to all police personnel, including civilian staff.

_ Provide mandatory and comprehensive training on gender sensitivity and sexual harassment for all police personnel.

_ Offer in-depth, skill-building training on specific gender topics, such as interviewing victims of human trafficking and protocols for responding to domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault.

Recruitment, retention and advancement of female personnel

_ Consider establishing strategic targets for female recruitment and retention.

_ Update recruitment policies and practices to ensure they are attracting a full range of qualified individuals, including from under-represented groups.

_ Update job descriptions to accurately reflect the skills required in modern policing.

_ Revise and adapt human resources policies to ensure they are non-discriminatory, gender sensitive and family-friendly.

_ Establish female police associations and mentor programs

_ Review job assessment standards and promotion criteria for discrimination. Implement performance-based assessment reviews.

_ Ensure equal access to job training for career advancement.

Civil society oversight and collaboration

_ Consider community-based policing as an effective strategy for providing security and working collaboratively with the community, including civil society organizations such as women’s groups (e.g. through joint training and patrolling).

_ Establish referral systems for police to put victims in contact with community services including women’s organizations.

_ Create or strengthen civilian oversight mechanisms, such as community police boards, in order to increase public trust and establish formal channels of communication between the police and the community.

_ Build the capacity of civil society organizations to effectively monitor the police for human rights violations.

_ Police institutions are often suspicious of civil society organizations and are reluctant to work with them.

_ National police often work in difficult conditions without equipment and with poor pay, while still being expected to carry out their changing mandates, often resulting in a reluctance to prioritize reform processes, including gender reforms.

_ Commitment to gender-responsive police reform diminishes as crime begins to rise and police return to oppressive ways of addressing crime, disadvantaging certain groups in society.

_ The national police force are not the only agents involved in policing – private security companies, militias and armed non-state actors need to be included in gender-responsive security sector reform efforts.

References

1-Wikipedia

2-Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces

3-The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination

Against Women (CEDAW, 1979).

4-The VIP Guide: Vision, Innovation and Professionalism in Policing Violence Against Women and Children, 2001

5-Promoting Safer Communities by Integrating Research and Practice, 2004.

6-Recruiting and Retaining Women: A Self-Assessment Guide for Law Enforcement, 2001.

US lawmakers push to get US out of Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: Now that Osama bin Laden is dead, it is time to end the war in Afghanistan and bring US troops home, several Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives demanded on Wednesday.
President Barack Obama will begin drawing down some of the 100,000 troops in Afghanistan in July, with all combat forces due out by 2014. That timetable is unacceptable to a growing number of war-weary US lawmakers, who argue that the death of the al Qaeda leader is an opportunity for the United States to recalibrate its strategy.
”The successful mission that located and killed Osama bin Laden has raised many questions about the effectiveness of America’s strategy to combat terrorism through a now 10-year-old nation-building effort in a deeply corrupt Afghanistan, especially in light of the serious fiscal challenges we face at home,” Reps. Jason Chaffetz, a Republican, and Democrat Peter Welch wrote in a letter to colleagues on Wednesday.
They said it would be more effective to use ”a targeted, worldwide counterterrorism strategy similar to the intelligence and special operations mission that located and killed bin Laden in Pakistan earlier this month.”
Chaffetz and Welch planned to offer an amendment to the defense bill for withdrawing ground troops from Afghanistan. A group of eight Republicans and Democrats were pushing another measure to accelerate the transition from US to Afghan control of operations.
While the amendments were unlikely to pass, the votes expected Thursday were certain to provide a measure of the congressional opposition to the war _ numbers that will not go unnoticed at the Pentagon and White House.
For a second day Wednesday, the House debated the broad, $690 billion defense blueprint that would provide a 1.6 percent increase in military pay, fund an array of aircraft, ships and submarines, slightly increase health care fees for working-age retirees and meet the Pentagon’s request for $119 billion to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Still fuming over Obama’s lack of extensive consultation with lawmakers before launching air strikes against Libya in March, the House adopted an amendment that says nothing in the bill could be construed as Congress authorizing the military operation in Libya.
”The president must firmly come to this Congress to seek authorization,” said Republican Rep. Scott Garrett, sponsor of the amendment.
Separately, in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, three Republican lawmakers complained about Obama’s decision not to follow the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which says the president can send troops into combat for only 60 days without congressional approval. That legal deadline for a full-blown authorization expired last Friday.
”Whatever the scope of the fight, our armed forces deserve, at the very least, a conversation between the president and Congress to explain why it is critical we send them into harm’s way,” said Rep. Tom Rooney, also a Republican.
Obama told Congress last week that he would welcome a resolution backing the limited US involvement in the NATO-led military campaign.
By voice vote, the House adopted an amendment that would extend whistle-blower protection to members of the military who speak up about ”ideologically based threats” by fellow service members that they believe could undermine US security.
Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, sponsor of the measure, cited the shooting rampagee at Fort Hood, Texas, and the accused shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. A Pentagon review found Hasan’s supervisors expressed concerns about his behavior but failed to heed their own warnings.
Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the November 2009 shooting spree on the Texas military post.
The House also voted to stop a White House effort to require anyone seeking government contracts to disclose political contributions. Obama’s disclosure order, drafted in April, has not yet been issued, but reports about the order have upset Republicans and some Democrats.
”Government agencies should award contracts based on merit and value to taxpayers _ not politics,” said Republican Rep. Tom Cole, the amendment’s sponsor. The measure passed on a vote of 261-163.
House Republican leaders hope to finish the defense bill on Thursday, but first must plow through 152 amendments, several to eliminate disputed items in the bill that have drawn the threat of a presidential veto.
Provisions in the bill would limit Obama’s authority to transfer terrorist suspects from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to foreign countries. The bill also bars transfer of detainees to facilities in the United States, even for trial.
The administration said the bill’s provision ”is a dangerous and unprecedented challenge to critical executive branch authority to determine when and where to prosecute detainees, based on the facts and the circumstances of each case and our national security interest

the rising economy of china

Just how long will it take for China to overtake the States?

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that the Chinese economy will surpass that of the U.S. by 2016. In five years, China's share of the global economy will ascend from 14 percent to 18 percent.

The U.S.'s share on the other hand will descend to 17.7 percent, according to the China Daily.

China has been the fastest growing economy in the world for almost three decades. In the words of Sahi Muja, President and CEO of Albanian Minerals in New York, “China has become the engine of the world's economy."

(More on NewsFeed: The China effect)

Muja highlights that the world's fastest-growing major economy consumes more than a third of the world's aluminum output, a quarter of its copper production, a tenth of its oil and accounts for more than half of the trading in iron ore.

China is also the largest producer of food and agricultural products, pork, seafood, cotton commodities, textile and electronic products, he said.

The IMF's study has caused controversy in the U.S., with former Governor Mitt Romney, in an interview with Fox News, describing American policy as too "relaxed towards China." This follows credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's plan to downgrade U.S. sovereign debt outlook.

The U.S. and China will be discussing human rights this week; let's hope this world ranking debate doesn't get in their way.

Criminology - an education you can put to work

Studying criminology opens the door to many career possibilities. Some require more education, but all require a strong knowledge of the criminal justice system which can be acquired through Criminology courses at Douglas College.
You'll gain an understanding of the criminal justice system, prevailing criminology theories, and national and local policy.
Courses are designed to develop skills you'll need on the job: communications and interpersonal skills, critical thinking and problem solving, public speaking and self-confidence. It's active and involved - you'll learn using role plays, video scenarios, debates and group projects.
Typical employers in the criminal justice field are government, educational institutions and the non-profit sector.
Complex legal issues and advanced technology mean employers value higher education and people who continue to learn on the job. New niches in the field include technology, computer security and restorative justice.
Criminology courses at Douglas College are good background for careers in the different areas below.  For more information on these careers see links on left.

• Bail Supervisor
• Bailiff
• Canadian Security Intelligence Service
• Case Management Officer (Corrections)
• Court Administration
• Correctional Officer
• Customs Officer
• Deputy Sheriff
• Family Court Counselor
• Immigration Officer
• Insurance Adjuster
• Insurance and Fraud Investigator
• Lawyer
• Lobbyist/Civil Liberties Advocate
• Paralegal/Legal Assistant
• Parole Officer
• Police Officer
• Private Investigator
• Probation Officer
• Victim Service Worker
• Youth Justice Worker

Other related career options that you may want to explore are:

• Child and Youth Care Counsellor
• Computer Security Consultant
• Court Officer
• Criminalist
• Criminal Psychologist
• Domestic Violence Counsellor
• Evidence Technician
• Loss Prevention Officer
• Records Clerk
• Revenue Canada Investigator
• Security Officer
• Statistical Research Analyst

America’s 20 Most Notorious Serial Killers

Throughout American history, serial killers have both captivated and horrified their fellow citizens. They’re capable of altering the daily lives of large populations in a way that’s only rivaled by natural disasters. If they’re caught, we’re left wondering what possessed such seemingly harmless people – many times they look like your average Joe with a nine-to-five job – to become such monsters. Unfortunately, there have been numerous serial killers who have lived among ordinary Americans since this country’s beginnings. The most notorious of them just happened to receive the most press coverage during the last century when the media became most pervasive. Below is a list of 20 of the America’s most notorious serial killers; the ones who truly kept us watching our backs and cringing in disgust.

• Jeffrey Dahmer
  Dahmer was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. At the time of his arrest, few people imagined the polite man with blond hair, blue eyes and thick glasses was capable of killing, dismembering and cannibalizing 17 young men. But his murders remain among the most gruesome in American history. Most of his victims were poor Asian, African-American and Latino men from the Milwaukee area.
• Ted Bundy It might have been Bundy’s good looks and charm that helped lure his victims into positions of vulnerability. He confessed to roughly 30 murders by the time of his 1989 execution, but criminal justice experts estimate that he committed several more. The victims were strangled and mutilated, and he slept with their corpses until they became unbearably decayed. But that didn’t deter thousands of women from sending him letters of adoration while he was in prison.
• Charles Manson Manson and his gang of four people most notoriously killed actress Sharon Tate in 1969. The Manson Family, which was mostly composed of naïve and troubled young women, was convicted of killing seven people in total. The charismatic leader dreamed of a racial revolution that would eventually result in the Manson Family ruling the world.
• Dennis Rader The BTK Killer was finally caught in 2005 after murdering 10 people between January of 1974 and January of 2005. Rader sent several letters during that time period to police stations and media outlets, anonymously taking credit for the acts. He managed to cover his tracks until investigators finally traced a floppy disk he had sent to a Wichita TV station back to the Christ Lutheran Church where he was the president of church council.
• David Berkowitz The summer of 1977 was the Summer of Sam in New York City when the Son of Sam, David Berkowitz, killed six people while alerting the police and media – not unlike the BTK Killer – detailing his crimes. The 24-year-old sharpshooter claimed that howls from dogs from around his neighborhood were messages from demons that demanded him to kill women.
• Gary Ridgway Two bodies found in Seattle’s Green River in 1982 were the first of dozens of bodies – many of whom were young female prostitutes – discovered throughout Washington during the next several years. The culprit was Gary Ridgway, or The Green River Killer, who wasn’t officially identified until 2001 despite being subject to suspicion not long after his first crimes were committed. He would eventually confess to 48 murders.
• John Wayne Gacy Before the bodies of 29 young men and boys were discovered on his property in 1978, Gacy was known around Chicago for being nothing more than a friendly neighbor. He dressed up as Pogo the Clown and was the chaplain of the Jaycees. Because of his reputation, many people failed to consider that he was arrested for sodomy with a minor during the ’60s.
• Boston Strangler The Strangler’s reign of terror in Boston lasted from the summer of 1962 to the winter of 1964. A total of 13 women were killed, ranging from 19 to 85 years of age. It’s believed that the women allowed him into their apartments, where he sexually assaulted and strangled them. Albert DeSalvo confessed to the 11 Strangler killings and two others, and was sentenced to life in prison in 1967. But doubt remains that he was the killer, and some believe that more people may have been involved.
• Zodiac Killer (identity unknown) The crimes of the Zodiac Killer remain unsolved more than 40 years after they occurred. He killed five people in Northern California from December 1968 to October 1969, and sent a series of cryptic letters to newspapers taking credit for the murders. He claimed credit for 37 murders in total; but police have never found his identity, so the truthfulness of his confessions is in question.
• Richard Ramirez Ramirez became a heavy drug user and Satan worshipper by the age of 18, and by the age of 24, he was a full-fledged serial killer. In 1989, He was convicted for 13 murders in California that occurred between June of 1984 and August of 1985. His nickname, the Night Stalker was inspired by his favorite rock group – AC/DC.
• Coral Eugene Watts Watts is the most notorious American serial killer who you don’t know about; his deeds rival those of Gacy, Bundy and Dahmer. He confessed to more than 80 murders in total, and he received immunity in 1982 for confessing to 12 of them. His string of killings lasted from 1974 until 1982, and his victims were women ranging from age 14 to 44.
• Dean Corll The Candy Man – a nickname he acquired because he worked in his mother’s candy store – was responsible for killing more than 27 boys and young men. Corll’s crimes became known as the Houston Mass Murders during the early ’70s. He employed the help of two teenage boys who assisted him in his abductions; one of whom eventually killed him and confessed his role in the murders.
• Richard Angelo Angelo wasn’t receiving the praise he thought he deserved at Long Island’s Good Samaritan Hospital in 1987, so he decided to put himself in the best position to save lives. Unfortunately, that entailed poisoning patients with Pavulon and Anectine until they were near death. As a result, 25 people were estimated to have died, and just 12 people survived.
• Albert Fish Fish’s vile deeds included pedophilia, cannibalism and murder. When he was captured, he admitted to molesting more than 400 children. Many of his victims were African-Americans; he believed he would be less likely to get caught because they wouldn’t be missed. There were just three known murders committed by Fish, though he confessed to killing hundreds.
• Eddie Gein The body parts of 15 different women were found on his property; many of which were made into household items, including a chair composed of human skin upholstery and a skull that was used for a bowl. Gein accumulated the body parts after two murders and while grave-robbing.
• Belle Gunness Very few serial killers are female, but Gunness was just as heartless as her male counterparts. It’s believed that she killed more than 40 people on her Indiana farm, including her own two children, husbands and potential suitors who she lured to her property through personal ads. She is said to have died in a fire in 1908, but many claimed she fled the state with the money she had accumulated from the men she killed.
• Angel Maturino Resendiz Resendiz was responsible for at least 24 deaths in the US from 1986 to 1999. Also known as Rafael Resendez-Ramirez and The Railcar Killer, he used numerous aliases as he traveled the country by rail, murdering and robbing people in Texas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky and Georgia. He also confessed to killing more people in Mexico.
• Derrick Todd Lee Responsible for at least seven deaths from 1992 to 2003, Lee focused his carnage on the Louisiana State University area in Baton Rouge. Charlotte Pace, a 22-year-old LSU student, was stabbed 81 times with a knife and screwdriver in 2002. Lee was eventually sentenced to death despite his IQ of 65.
• John Allen Muhammad The Washington DC area was kept in a constant state of fear during October of 2002 when a series of random sniper killings occurred. Muhammad along with his 17-year-old accomplice, Lee Malvo, killed 16 people in total; most of the murders occurred in DC, Maryland and Virginia. Muhammad was put to death in November of 2009.
• Herman Webster Mudgett Nineteenth century serial killer Herman Webster Mudgett, also known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, confessed to murdering 27 people. Killing was a profitable business for Mudgett, who lured women into his Chicago castle, where he tortured and killed them after forcing them to sign over their life savings. He also performed abortions and made skeletal models using his victims’ bones, which he sold to medical schools.