Sociological Analysis Of Police Legitimacy And Criminals’ cooperation With Police In Pakistan

Abstract

Policing in Pakistan continues to face many challenges. The relations between police and community are characterized by distrust among stakeholders.The present research focused on police legitimacy and criminals’ cooperation with police. Criminals’ knowledge about the laws of institution of police, appropriateness, and rightness of the actions of police in each social system of norms and rules is called legitimacy. The police may exhibit desirability and acceptance by developing methods, concepts, and ideas those are commonly accepted and considered useful and desirable by professionals and experts in its surrounding environment to get cooperation from criminals.This research work was conducted in Rawalpindi division of Punjab, Pakistan. The respondents in the present research were individuals who had more exposure to police (involved in murder cases).The present research revealed that the complaint system against policing must be made sound to record the complaints against policing. Moreover, the respondents
suggested that police is to be courteous with the people of Pakistan.Many people are unwilling to cooperate with police due to illegitimacy of police. The legitimacy of police is questioned by the people of Pakistan. Police is not ready to provide satisfactory assistance to victims of crime in Pakistan. Satisfaction of the victims of crimes play an important role in the cooperation of public in general and the criminals. Police is to access at the place of crime. Inaccessibility of police at the place of crime will not only motivate the criminals to commit the crime but also develop a predicament of non-cooperation of criminals. Quick response of police is necessary to eradicate the acts of crime. Quick response of police is necessary to achieve confidence from the public in order to get cooperation from different factions of society.