| Country: | Pakistan |
| Details of Formation: | In summer 2009, the Swat provincial government introduced a program that intended to generate local law enforcement officers. Authorities then recruited civilians to form the Community Police. |
| Details of Termination: | The Community Police was still active in 2014. |
| Purpose: | The main purpose of the Community Police was to fight the Taliban. The government used them to gather information on who might be a disguised Taliban member. The Community Police also made it possible to enlarge the police force; regular police officers were killed, kidnapped or deserted out of fear, and many of the new regular police recruits did not show up. |
| Organisation: | The Community Police is a program by the provincial government. It was designed as a pilot project under the UNDP-sponsored 'strengthening rule of law programme for Malakand division (SRLPM)'. Community Police operate together with regular police, and have connections to the Army chief. |
| Weapons and Training: | Community Police receive formal training by the Army. Training includes counterinsurgency, recapturing buildings SWAT team-style, escorting VIPs and other military drills. |
| Size: | In July 2009, the government was recruiting 2,000 Community Police officers. By October 2009, they had recruited already 2,600 members. A news source from March 2020 speaks of 2,500 recruits. |
| Reason for Membership: | Community Police members receive a monthly salary of $120, which is more than double of the amount most farmers earn, and more than regular police officers receive. |
| Treatment of Civilians: | The Community Police are supposed to protect the public. We have no information to what degree they fulfill this task; neither do we have information on possible human rights violations. |
| Other Information: | The Community Police is similar to tribal militias, but while tribal militias are existing tribes that form an alliance with the government/military, the Community Police was exclusively set up and trained by the government. |
| References: | Information was taken from news sources listed in the PGMD |