April 23, 2007	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 05, 1428

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LAHORE, April 22: The investigation wing of the Punjab police separated under the Police Order 2002 for better preparation of cases for trial is still working below the mark because of unwilling and untrained staff which is also demoralised for want of proper facilities or incentives.

Among the officials are those nearing retirement and those carrying bad reputation. But almost all of them are those who could not find means to get stopped their transfer to the investigation wing that is being considered inferior to the operation wing.

“This is going against the theme of separating investigation from the watch and ward duty of police. And the ground realities are just defeating the purpose of having the criminals punished through courts of law with preparation of solid cases against them,” a senior official told Dawn here on Sunday.

According to a study into the affairs of the investigation wing, those either not having good reputation or at the verge of retirement had been deputed for the job all over the province. They are less educated and have also been given no training in the modern methods of investigation.

Then there is staff shortage which is rendering the existing staff unable to properly handle the voluminous work. For instance, in Lahore, 92 cases are being handled by one investigating officer in the Saddar division alone. The city has only 432 investigation officers as against the required strength of 1,100.

The staff is housed in police stations and is generally looked down upon by the operation police who consider themselves superior because of perks and powers to “do much more than the investigators.”

One team of investigators is given only one vehicle which is normally used by the in-charge. As a result, the deprived officers either use delaying tactics, work half-heartedly or look for ‘compensation’ from those involved in the case.

Investigation of cases is central to the trial of criminals in courts. But, here it is being conducted by officers who have not been given even proper offices and transport.

In contrast, their colleagues in the operation wing are being given additional incentives. The SHOs are receiving an additional Rs15,000 and DSPs/ASPs additional Rs25,000 every month. And this is creating a sense of deprivation among the investigating staff working with them in the same police stations.

So far as the method of investigation is concerned, none of the senior officers prepares a case. Normally, an ASI is asked to investigate the case and he acts according to the level of his motivation and education.

A majority of ASIs are simply matriculate having no specialised training of investigation and this is rendering them unable to deal with situations demanding more knowledge and professional expertise.

Judicial officers say major cases should be investigated by senior officers like DSPs and SPs, but they do not do it to avoid appearance in courts. “Many SPs consider it an insult to appear in courts,” they said.

According to experts, circumstantial evidence of a case is destroyed in just 30 minutes. And in the light of the legal requirements, the investigating officer must reach a scene of crime as soon as he gets its information to prevent the evidence from being destroyed.

But, here, collecting evidence is not considered an important factor while preparing the case. Therefore, the main thrust of a case is given to witnesses who normally are bought for or against a case.

The police do not facilitate or protect witnesses whom they make the main asset of the case. This means that the fate of the case is dependent on witnesses who can either support or oppose an accused under threat or for monetary considerations.

Normally, the investigation officers reach the scene of a crime after much delay. This can happen because of the lack of responsibility or due to the delay in registration of FIRs. And the second reason is stated to be the major factor responsible for the destruction of evidence as even the most efficient and honest investigating officer cannot collect evidence without the registration of a case.

The major the crime the more is the resistance to have it registered has become rule of law in police.

The method of investigation is not uniform and it is dependent on the mental level, qualification, honesty and the willingness of the investigation officers. The officers are supposed to follow the 1934 police rules, but actually they ignore them (the rules).

“Investigators should be properly qualified, trained and motivated. They should also be honest because their job is to find truth. But here, they do not get truth. Instead they concoct to cover up shortcomings in their work,” a senior official said.