April 18, 2007	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 29, 1428

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LAHORE, April 17: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi on Tuesday directed the IG to transfer all DSPs of highway patrolling posts and replace them with honest and dutiful officers.

Presiding over a meeting here, the chief minister said corrupt police officers should immediately be suspended from service rather than being transferred, or at least they should be barred from field postings. Proceedings should also be initiated for their removal from service, he added.

He said that he would conduct surprise inspections of the patrolling posts so that the desired results of the new police system could be achieved. The staff posted at the patrolling posts was being empowered for improving their efficiency regarding crime control.

Law Minister Basharat Raja, Chief Secretary Salman Siddique, IG Ahmed Naseem, Chairman Planning & Development Suleman Ghani, secretaries of the home, law and communication departments, Additional IG, Highway Patrolling, Tariq Saleem Dogar, and other senior officers attended the meeting.

The chief minister said Rs6 billion were being spent on patrolling posts which had helped control crime on highways as well as promote a sense of security among the citizens.

He said the government was considering a separate cadre and service rules for patrolling posts’ staff so that they could be made more efficient.

He said the government had devised the system of patrolling posts and traffic wardens with renewed determination and it would help enable police department to perform its actual duties. He said special incentives would be offered to the trainers for imparting world class training to the constables, head constables and ASIs recruited for patrolling posts. Capacity of police training schools was also being enhanced, he added.

The chief minister said patrolling posts’ staff should not be unduly transferred, and their attendance, discipline and alertness would be ensured.

He said a modern satellite system was being introduced to monitor the movement of patrolling posts’ vehicles, and initially trackers would be installed in 300 vehicles. He said the system would help in immediate redressal of people’s grievances.

The meeting was informed that 209 police patrolling posts were operational in the province, while 142 more would be completed by September this year. Similarly, 212 new posts were being established in different cities.

The meeting was further informed that 97 proclaimed offenders and 43 absconders had been apprehended through patrolling posts this year, while timely help was extended to the citizens in 23,172 incidents.

The chief minister said 2,500 more vacancies would be filled in to provide adequate staff to the patrolling posts.