Legitimacy as Security: Rethinking Policing for a New Nepal

When societies face rising crime, civil unrest or political instability, governments often respond by strengthening the coercive powers of the state. More weapons, armored vehicles, drones and tactical units are presented as evidence of determination to restore order. Yet militarizing policing rarely produces safer societies in the long term. It may suppress immediate symptoms, but it does little to address the underlying causes of insecurity—and can weaken the foundation of sustainable security: public legitimacy.