LAHORE: The Punjab police have shortlisted more than 2,000 “brilliant homicide investigation officers” (IOs) -- inspectors and sub-inspectors -- to solve murder cases after clearance from the Special Branch about their spotless career.

The Punjab police had selected and dispatched a list of police officers to the Special Branch on the basis of integrity, excellent investigative skills, knowledge of criminal law and prosecution, science graduation, or at least Inter with science or Matric with science, conduct with public etc.

The SB gave a nod to field them certifying that there was not a single criminal case or corruption charges against these IOs in the official record, a senior official told Dawn. He said the Punjab police initially chose 500 out of these 2,000 investigators due to scarcity of resources for imparting them training on modern pattern set under the terms of reference.

The first batch of these 500 fully-trained IOs is likely to be dispatched in the first week of June to the districts for their filed posting.

The initiative was taken under a newly launched scheme -- Specialised Homicide Investigation Units (SHIUs) -- in all three field formations across the province to streamline the ignored and core police function of investigation wing, he said.

The official said the idea of SHIUs was floated when many people complained to the IGP in open courts that the detectives could not trace the murder cases particularly the blind murders even after a lapse of 10 to 15 years, raising doubts about the ability of the police officials concerned.

They further told him that the parliamentarians, politicians, bureaucrats and other influential people in the respective districts had been playing a ‘dirty role’ in the transfer and posting of the IOs of the murder cases.

The IGP further came to know that only the Capital City Police Lahore was having some kind of separation of investigation at the police station level, while in other districts no such practice was being followed. And this is one of the major reasons behind the delay in justice to the victims’ families.

Quoting official figures about the burden of crime against people, he said a total of 5,016 cases of murder, attempted murder and hurt were lodged all over the province from January to March this year. Of them, he said, 1,028 murder cases were registered under section 302 of PPC.

Of the total cases, the investigation of 1,879 cases including 473 murder cases was yet to be completed, he said.

The Punjab police introduced reforms by launching SHIUs at the district level to separately investigate the murder cases registered under sections 302, 316, 319, 320, 322 PPC. Under the scheme the posting of IOs would not be transferable before a period of two years which would be extendable on the sole discretion of the IGP.

The official said in order to take interference to zero level, the IGP had issued instructions to the district police officers to create a pool of honest officials at the district level according to the SHIU guidelines. At present, an IO is on average handling more than 70 cases of various crimes while under the new scheme, each IO of this unit would not investigate more than 20 cases a year, he said.

The total number of IOs in the unit would be equal to the annual average of total number of murder cases registered in the last three years and divided by 20. “The units shall be responsible to the SP Investigation of the respective division. The office of sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) shall act as headquarters of SHIU.”

About the transport and logistic support, he said an ASI/HC and three constables would assist every IO of the SHIU besides crime scene investigation (CSI) staff at the crime scene. They would be provided designated transport and other logistics in order to facilitate them for timely completion of the cases.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play