LAHORE, Jan 23: Checking an abnormal increase in crime against property, especially street crime, is an uphill task for the new Lahore police chief, who is likely to be notified either late on Monday night or Tuesday (today).

The replacement was required as the city police chief, DIG Tariq Saleem, is leaving for staff college course in the first week of next month.

Besides Lahore, reshuffle of senior police officials posted elsewhere in the Punjab is also due. Multan police chief DIG Malik Iqbal is too leaving for the staff college.

Punjab government sources say that Faisalabad police chief DIG Khwaja Khalid Farooq has been confirmed as the new Lahore police chief, whose posting will be notified today. Mr Farooq has already served as Lahore police chief besides working as Punjab prison IG, Gujranwala and Bahawalpur range DIG and Punjab Constabulary Commandant

At Faisalabad, Mr Farooq was likely to be replaced with Talat Mahmood, who was previously Commandant of the Punjab Constabulary (PC).

Former Lahore FIA Director Chaudhry Tanvir Ahmad would either be posted as PC commandant or Multan police chief. Former Lahore police chief DIG Javed Noor was also considered for the fresh reshuffle, but a source said that he had given in writing that he was not interested in field posting.

Talking to Dawn by phone from Faisalabad, Kh Farooq said focus on organised crimes would be his top priority. “I believe once you manage to control this area the other crimes will automatically come down.” Increase in street crime, he said, certainly affected the overall crime situation and was required to be tackled methodically.

The outgoing city police chief said that he was satisfied with his two-year working here. “We as a team tried our best. Rest lies with God and the people who, indeed, are the best judge,” Mr Saleem said. A senior police officer commented that whatever the crime situation had been in Lahore during the last two years, the outgoing police chief kept his doors open to common people. “Listening patiently to people has always been a problem in the police department,” he said.