Picture of the Day: Tulla Makeover

Adil Najam

This is a double bonus; the Picture of the Day as well as a fascinating story unto itself.

This photograph of a much-moustachiod policeman (endearingly referred to as a Tulla‘) was taken by manitoon (available on Flickr.com) at a Daily Times today (6 July, 2006).

It turns out that the Lahore Police is going to get a makeover. And as a first step, they will be put through a psychological test to “check which ones are good citizens.”

This according to a story in the Daily Times (6 July, 2006) by Shahnawaz Khan, which reports that a 10-point questionnaire had been prepared in collaboration with psychologists, for the purpose of evaluating the ‘good citizenship’ of Lahore cops.

[Sources said that] the DIG decided to send the proposal after the June 20 incident, in which a drug addict who killed his three daughters was shot dead by a constable in the Liaqatabad police precincts. They said that this was an initial step to improve policemen as individuals. Psychologists would announce results after a survey, on the basis of which senior officials would give policemen the ‘Good Citizen’ title, they said, adding that policemen would be given the ‘Good Cop of the City’ title in the second phase of the project. Sources said the Lahore Police would also launch a project to select the ‘Officer of the Month’ and the ‘Cop of the Month’.

So, what are the questions in this 10-question psychological test that are being considered? Read on…

Q1. You find someone’s wallet on the street, do you … ?

• pick it up and take it to a police station
• look around to see if anyone is looking for a wallet, then pick it up and take it to the police station
• look for a name or address in the wallet and send it to them
• ask passers-by if they’ve dropped the wallet and take it to the police station
• take the money and drop the wallet in a bin

Q2. You’ve invited friends over for dinner, do you … ?

• reach for the recipe books and make a special shopping list of the ingredients you need
• wait until the day of the dinner and decide what to cook then
• try out a new recipe and hope you have the right ingredients
• check if they have any special dietary requirements and cook individual dishes for them accordingly
• look for a recipe that uses the food that you already have in the house

Q3. You’ve been told a secret about your best friend, do you … ?

• think about it and maybe tell someone later
• run and tell all your mutual friends
• keep it to yourself, until later
• think about it and tell a few select trusted friends
• wonder why you’re being told this

Q4. You meet someone at a party for the first time, do you … ?

• imagine what they’re like
• introduce yourself and find out what they’re like
• know what they’re like already
• watch how they behave then decide
• ask your friends what they’re like

Q5. If you experience a problem at work, do you … ?

• discuss it with your colleagues and come to a solution
• look carefully at the problem and then offer a solution
• keep it to yourself, examine it carefully, then solve it
• ignore it and come back to it later
• come up with a solution immediately

Q6. You hear a noise outside your house in the middle of the night, do you … ?

• rush out and investigate
• look out your windows for signs of a burglar, then decide
• make some noise, turn on lights, then check outside
• call the police and check the doors are locked
• check doors and alarms system, then look outside

Q7. You receive a parcel in the post with its address all smudged, do you … ?

• try and read the smudged handwriting
• check the postmark to see where it came from
• rip it open and see what it is
• ask your housemates if they’re expecting a parcel, then open it with them
• leave the parcel where it is and see if anyone else claims it

Q8. If you were an animal you’d be … ?

• an owl
• a bear
• a cat
• a wolf
• an eagle

Q9. Select the personality trait that most applies to you

• practical
• thoughtful
• methodical
• spontaneous
• quick-thinking

Q10. You left some cold food in the fridge and now it’s missing, do you… ?

• check your house for evidence of crumbs or a dirty plate
• chat with your housemates whilst smelling their breath
• mention it to your housemates individually and gauge their reaction
• call a house meeting and ask for the guilty party to step forward
• rush around accusing everyone of stealing it

I must confess that as I read these myself, I am not sure if (a) this is real, (b) what the right answers might be, (c) what this has to do with the Pakistan context, (d) whether someone has just copied this from the back of a Readers Digest self-help test, or (e) whether good citizenship can be determined or induced through such a test. However, it is a fun read nonetheless.