Policing climate change.

ISLAMABAD -- Police have recently been given horses to patrol the walking track on Margalla Hills National Park. The Motorway Police have been given new automobiles and laser guns to monitor speeding. The police have been provided with the latest technology for safe cities and digitalising crime investigations, a few bicycles for patrolling certain parks and motorbikes for female officers to promote gender equity. All these endeavours are aimed at improving public safety and service delivery.

Can the police be resourced to improve public safety in Karachi during recurrent urban floods, bouts of heatwaves in Jacobabad, droughts in Zhob, air pollution in Lahore, cloud outbursts in Nowshera, or glacial lake outburst floods in Hunza? Because of the frequent incidence of extreme weather events, we need to rely on, first and foremost, police and other law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) as first responders.

Climate change has significantly impacted law enforcement and policing functions. It has led to the need for enhanced policing capabilities. The police are increasingly required to perform roles that are distinct from their typical daily duties when responding to climate-induced disasters. The increasing temperatures and rainfall trends demand a rethink of approaches to internal security, with an emphasis on preventive rather than reactive strategies. Can we consider streamlining these functions, without converting the country into a police state?

The police department and other LEAs have thus far paid little attention to their role in climate disasters. There are substantial problems associated with responses to climate-induced disasters involving other emergency responders, communities, and other stakeholders who have a role to play. Resilience policing in Pakistan will need a new approach and a non-colonial mindset to prepare for and perform duties during climate disasters. Elsewhere in the world, it is often linked to community-managed policing models, and building networks within communities prior to disasters.

The police have an increasingly important leadership role in managing climate-triggered crises.

Recent police engagements during the unfolding climate crises in Pakistan can be classified in four main categories: a) supporting the local administration in responding to the increasing frequency of climate disasters such as floods, heatwaves, droughts, landslides and snowstorms; b) assisting the government in enforcing environment and...