Police under pressure from the media and politicians

The police are unable to perform their duties in line with public expectations due to political influence. Meanwhile, sustained negative media coverage is affecting the force’s credibility and morale. In other words, the police are under pressure from media reports and political interference. A lack of accountability and allegations of corruption have also contributed to public distrust.

These findings emerged from a study published in the second issue of Volume 12 of the PSC Journal (July to December 2025), published by the Police Staff College.

A former Cabinet secretary was asked whether he viewed the police as a political party’s muscle. His answer was straightforward: there was no need to look far. The report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) would suffice.

The office’s investigation into the July-August 2024 uprising found that the then government and security forces were involved in serious human rights violations during the suppression of the protests. The report stated that there were reasonable grounds to believe these incidents had occurred under the direction of political leaders and senior security officials.

The former Cabinet secretary said all previous governments had used the police as a force to serve their political interests.

The PSC Journal study said that when the police are perceived as an instrument of the ruling party, questions arise about the force’s impartiality and public trust declines. This also affects the reporting of crimes, filing of complaints and cooperation with investigations.

Meanwhile, discussions and criticism on television talk shows, statements by various stakeholders and articles by writers portraying the police negatively may also affect the force’s morale and credibility, according to the researchers. The study also identified the unverified dissemination of widespread misconceptions about the police as one of the reasons behind public distrust.

Discussions with media policymakers revealed that police conduct is frequently portrayed negatively on television and other media talk shows. Allegations of political bias, corruption, abuse of power and mistreatment of ordinary people are often raised.

No police representatives are present at these programs. Even when invited to participate, they do not respond. Moreover, the police do not provide explanations for the allegations after the negative discussions are aired. As a result, viewers hear only one-sided accounts of the allegations. This risks further reinforcing negative perceptions of the police.