LAHORE: Manifold steps are being taken to reform the Punjab police department and improve its ability to combat crime with the help of information technology, digitalizing its manual functions that have become obsolete and useless.
“The existing police department was designed mainly to maintain law and order in villages. It became irrelevant long ago and we now require modern techniques and gadgets to counter criminals and especially terrorists in this era of rapid urbanization,” says Punjab IGP Mushtaq Sukhera.
The first step is the development of digital criminal tracking system (CRO) with the help of Punjab Information Technology Board. The system includes digital cameras with finger print reading devices that have been provided in every district, starting matching of finger prints with crime scene prints, developing linkages with prisons and court.
The police station record management system (POL-COM) has also been deployed in police stations of Lahore for data entry. This and the Criminal Record Office are being integrated, besides collecting identity card numbers database of criminals for verification purposes.
There is an online access to driving license, and the motor registration authority record. All regional police officers (RPOS) have the geo-fencing facility.
A digital beat book has been introduced for online monitoring of officers. Data entry of 240,000 forms has been completed. The book contains patrolling plans, security details, criminal areas, and crime prevention techniques.
Under the human resource management system, the record of officers of grade-17 and above has been completed and is in place.
Data entry of officers in grade-16 and below is in process in 17 districts, and is expected to be completed by March 31. Biometric attendance system has been deployed in all Lahore police stations and police lines, and will be replicated in all districts in Punjab.
The IGP says the post of the Punjab additional IGP is being converted into additional IGP discipline and inspection for time-bound disciplinary action and inspection of the field offices to check corruption, police high handedness and torture, escape from police custody, faulty investigation, extreme negligence and inefficiency in discharge of official duties.
Inspections of all top to bottom field police offices and lines, and malkhana will also be the responsibility of this office.
He says specialized homicide investigation units have been created. For them 450 investigators have been selected and trained. Each of them will conduct up to 20 investigations per year and will perform no other duty or handle investigation.
The traffic warden service is being introduced throughout the province with one uniform. To eliminate duality of command, the DSP Traffic will work under the DPO as head of the District Traffic Wing.
The existing traffic strength (4,751) in other than five bog cities, which already have warden system, will be repatriated to police and replaced with fresh recruitment in the ranks of Traffic Assistant (BS-5) and Junior Traffic Warden (BS-9).
The IGP says that amendments in the FIR & Final Report Law and Section 182 PPC are being made to check frivolous, false registration of cases.
Amendment in the Habitual Offenders Act is being sought on the pattern of ATA (4th Schedule) to obtain surety from the repeat offenders challaned in heinous crime.
Reception desks introduced in 10 police stations in Lahore last year to improve the soft image of police are being introduced in all districts.
There is a plan to establish IT control rooms in all districts. In the first phase, such rooms will be established in 202 urban police stations of 13 districts by the end of April. Among them 76 will be in Lahore alone.
(Daily Dawn)
******