LAHORE: The operations police chief, during two crime control meetings with the officers of four police divisions on Friday, observed low morale of the force and crime surge in the jurisdictions of some police stations.

The low morale and absence of welfare mechanism for officials were discussed during two meetings, sources told Dawn.

The meetings were held with the officers of Model Town, Cantonment, Iqbal Town and Saddar divisions.

Some divisional SPs, sub-divisional police officers and station house officers admitted that action against policemen in the wake of the Model Town carnage and increasing burden of law and order duties had shattered their morale and reduced their capabilities to fight crime, said sources.

DIG Dr Haider Ashraf reviewed crime analysis of four divisions and found that crime rate had tripled in areas under some police stations of the four divisions. The DIG tried to boost the morale of the officers by asking them to discharge their duties with devotion and also urged them to pull their socks up to control crime, sources said.

They said the DIG questioned some officers as to why crime rate was high in their areas when they claimed that crime seemed high owing to improved registration of cases and that they had smashed gangs in their respective jurisdictions.

“We cannot wait for criminals by sitting merely at police stations and it’s high time officials left police stations and went after the criminals,” said the DIG. He also stressed the need to ensure arrest of proclaimed offenders and court absconders without delay.

He asked the officers to identify crime spots and go for aggressive campaign as the police had no other way to deliver.

Realising a lack of motivation, the DIG urged the divisional SPs to arrange a monthly meeting and all SDPOs and SHOs to go for a fortnightly meeting with their cops to solve their problems relating to salary, leave, medical and other family issues.

“I will support the police officer who will work efficiently otherwise there is no room for the delinquent and corrupt,” he said.

Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014