Revisiting Public Perception towards Police Behavior: Role of Media in Maintaining Law and Order in Pakistan

The core objective of the current study was to dig out the public perception of police behavior from students of Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan-Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from n=385 university students through a systematic sampling technique. Data were collected by adapting Mastrofski's model (1999) based on six dimensions i.e. attentiveness, reliability, fairness, manner, responsiveness, and competence. Findings showed that overwhelming respondents had negative perceptions towards police behavior due to their biases. Moreover, a large majority was of the view that though the role of the police department is pivotal and undeniable in maintaining the law and order situation in the country however Pakistani media is not playing its due role in this regard and this could be a pertinent contributing factor in creating such a negative public perception. This study concluded public perception of police behavior is complex, with significant implications for law enforcement.