Vigilantism and the Police: Assessing the Perception of Pakistani Women about the Gender Related Ineffectiveness of the Police and the Preference for Vigilante Acts in Lahore

Qaisar Khalid Mahmood, Ishtiaq Ahmad, and Mazhar Hussain Bhutta

Abstract
The ineffectiveness of the police is considered one of the leading factors in promoting
vigilante acts in Pakistan. Due to the gender specific approach of the male-dominated
police in Pakistan, women often remain reluctant to go to a police station to report their
complaints. However, there is a paucity of empirical research in Pakistan highlighting
gender biased issues related to the perceived ineffectiveness of and structural problems
within the police and their correlation to vigilante acts. By surveying a sample of 200
women in households in Lahore (Pakistan), this research was conducted to assess the
perception among Pakistani women regarding police ineffectiveness and the preference
for vigilante acts. Based on the opinion of Pakistani women, this research revealed that
the gender specific ineffectiveness of the police contributes more to promoting support
for vigilante acts than does police structural inadequacy.

Keywords: Law Enforcement; Vigilantism; Pakistan; Lahore; Women in Policing