Mega structural changes at two police stations introduced

Jan 03, 2017

LAHORE: Introducing mega changes in the organizational structure at the police station level, the department has launched a pilot project, “Revamping and Reorganization of Police Station”.

The scheme was launched on the first day of 2017, aiming to enter into a new era to cater to the modern day needs of policing.

Two police stations of the provincial capital -- one in the posh area and another in the most underdeveloped locality of Kahna -- have been selected as a pilot project.

The Defence A police station has been shortlisted from the posh area and Kahna from the other locality.

Under the new arrangements, the authorities have placed a complete ban on extra duties of the personnel at the two selected police stations.

“For the first time we have introduced the project in which duties at the two police stations have been divided into shifts and no employee shall discharge duty more than eight hours,” Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) retired Capt Amin Wains told Dawn.

Sharing salient features of the new initiative, he said the structural changes were made for the first time in three major segments of the police station -- administration, human resource and budget.

He said it was the only scheme that was wholly drafted on the basis of suggestions and grievances of police employees, being main stakeholders, from the rank of constable to inspector.

“They can better elaborate their problems and thus we called them in a briefing session, sought from them reservations and suggestions to finalize a draft of the project,” the CCPO said.

Mr Wains said an understanding had been developed among the top police regime that no scheme could be successful unless practical changes were introduced in the organizational structure at the police station level.

“After working on the project constantly for weeks, we were counting days on fingers to enter in 2017 with a new vision and with a most modern and a bit changed police station”, the CCPO said.

He said the scheme, after the successful launch, would be replicated to every police station of the provincial capital.

About the structural changes at the police station level, he said, three basic principles -- assessment of modern day needs of policing, provision of basic organizational infrastructure and division of labour and clear-cut job description -- were employed in this regard

The police department had engaged many allied government departments, including prosecution, special branch and CIA traffic, for this purpose.

The CCPO said the police station at the administration level would be headed by the station house officer as per previous arrangements.

“Under the new project, two more positions -- additional SHO admin and additional SHO operations -- have been created,” Mr Wains said.

“However, the in-charge investigation shall continue to hold the same status as per the previous arrangement.

The additional SHOs shall work in shifts as per 8-hour duty time fixed for them. All beat officers of a police station have been provided for the first time a separate and designated human resource -- 10 patrolling officials each.

They will have reserve police at the police station strength to deal with any emergency situation in their beats.

We have also introduced four-tier patrolling regime and the structural specialization and sub-specialization of duties at the police station level”, the CCPO said.

The calculation of timings of every investigation officer/police official/shift duties and synchronizing the police station unit with Punjab Police Integrated Command, Control and Communication Center (PPIC) have been made part of the new system.

“A comprehensive welfare regime has also been established at the two designated police stations”, he said adding that according to new arrangements these police stations were linked to all allied police units like special branch, CIA and traffic.

He said the secretary prosecution had given a go-ahead to appoint a prosecution at the two police stations.

The new police force officials from the Dolphin and Police Response Unit would also work for eight hours each for the police stations.

From the day-first the provision of budget at police stations had been a major challenge for the police department, the CCPO said adding that the issue had also been addressed in the newly-launched project.

“Now the separate budgetary allocations have been ensured against each segment of a police station besides those being provided centrally”, Mr Wains said adding that the transportation facility had also been revisited.

The patrolling vehicles were increased from three to seven for each police station, he said.

The CCPO said that senior police officers from both investigations and operations would sit daily at the selected police stations to debrief their juniors for their capacity building.

“In the pilot project the satellite centres of the Forensic Science Agency (FSA) shall be a mandatory part of the police station to collect evidence besides an operation room and the satellite Crime Record Office (CRO),” he said.

After redesigning of the two police stations, the lodging and boarding facilities have also been provided besides establishing the “Working Groups” of the community comprising student volunteers to seek feedback.

The CCPO said the establishment of the Police Complaints Authority had also been planned but it required legislation by the government.

(Daily Dawn)

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