May 8, 2006	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 9, 1427

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LAHORE, May 7: The Punjab government has sanctioned a sum of Rs 3.8 billion for the chief minister’s police reforms programme, it is learnt.

Confirming the budgetary approval, additional IGP Dr Azhar Hasan Nadeem, who also heads a committee set up to implement the programme, told Dawn that the sanction included expenditure on rebuilding, reshaping and repair of police stations in the province besides special allowances for ASPs/DSPs and SHOs.

“We are trying our best to facilitate police force working in field to minimise chances of corruption, malpractice and misuse of power. Increase in salaries and better facilities have already yielded better results in the shape of motorway police,” he said. Mr Naeem believed an officer drawing a handsome salary besides having maximum facilities at his disposal shall not resort to illegal practices.

The allocation will also meet the cost of fresh vacancies of 15 SPs, 93 ASPs/DSPs, 656 sub-inspectors, 593 assistant sub-inspectors, 1,634 head constables and 7,722 constables which will be created under the reforms to implement the double-shift plan.

Mr Nadeem said first meeting of the committee had set targets for the implementation of the reforms, which had been assigned to some members of the committee and other senior police officers. The committee would meet again on May 16 to discuss the recommendations and suggestions on the reforms programme, the additional IGP said.

A member of the committee said on anonymity that model police stations would be built in both urban and rural areas of the province. The first meeting had deliberations on new design of model police stations, which would be finalised in the next sitting.

The model police stations were aimed at replacing the ‘depressed’ environment with people-friendly and working condition, he said. Each model police station, according to him, would have a reception-cum-lounge at the entrance while lock-ups and interrogation rooms, to be called as ‘interview’ rooms, would be at the back.

The committee member further disclosed that a junior command course was being devised which would be compulsory prior to posting as SHO. The course included subjects of community policing, human rights and financial management. A supervisory police officer to the rank of ASP/DSP will also be posted at each police station in five big cities — Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Multan and Faisalabad.

The big cities would also have an SP to head each town, the committee member said. The ASPs/DSPs and the SHOs would get around Rs 15,000 extra other than their own salaries.

Except for Lahore, which was already being headed by an additional IGP, the rest of the province would be governed by three police regions — Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad. Each region would be headed by an additional IGP of grade 21, the committee member said, quoting an official document. Gujranwala would fall in the Faisalabad region.

Each region, including Lahore, would have an FIR reporting section which would entertain complaints of police refusal to register case.

The reporting sections to be set up at the offices of regional police officer, district police officer and DIG office would be empowered to plead against officers found guilty of denying case registration, the additional IGP said.

REACTION: A senior retired police officer while commenting on the reforms on the condition of anonymity said there had been several such attempts in past to overhaul the police system. “It all depends on the spirit and implementation of the reforms,” he said, adding that the reforms programme could yield better results provided the government pursued it vigorously.

Express his reservations as well, he believed that the reform programme had been devised without consulting field staff. He said the programme had been finalised only by three or four senior officers, who could not experience the problems of police working which a field officer faced daily. He suggested a detailed discussion and debate by involving field officials before implementing the reforms.