ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, the federal capital gained two more police stations to fight crime - but to the loss of men and resources of the existing 20 stations.

“At least for now,” said police sources about the loss. They hoped the coming national budget will take care of the capital police’s perennial problem of shortage of manpower and funding.

In the past five months four police stations have been added to Islamabad which is expanding with the population on the rise constantly.

Request for a police station at Faizabad is pending with Chief Commissioner Islamabad.

One of the newest police stations has been established in the police barracks in G-9 Markaz to cover Karachi Company area. For the other police station, meant for Shams Town in Sector H-13, two adjacent buildings have been rented for Rs55,000 per month.

Senior police officers told Dawn that Inspector Khalid Awan has been appointed Station House Officer of the Karachi Company Police Station, with strength of four personnel. His first task is setting up armory, reporting room, investigation room, lockups in the station. It will work under the Margalla Circle and Saddar Zone.

Inspector Mohammad Shafique, appointed SHO Shams Town police station, has the same task at hand with the same strength of staff. The buildings hired for the station will also accommodate the office of Sub-Divisional Police Officer.

But a new police circle will be created to oversee Shams Town and Noon police stations. The latter station was opened on the eve of 2015.

“Each police station needs at least two vehicles - one for the SHO and other for the duty officer,” an officer said. “But majority of the police stations in Islamabad have just one vehicle.”

And all but three of the now 22 police stations are short of required manpower. Though 600 have been recruited in the force, they would join active service after completing a year of training, according to senior officers.

They said new police stations had to be established to create smaller precincts to curb and control crime in the federal capital.

Meanwhile, police establishment has reshuffled SHOs of eight police stations.

Now Inspector Abdul Rehman is SHO Aabpara, Inspector Fiaz Ahmed Tanoli is SHO Lohi Bher, Inspector Mehboob Ahmed is SHO Sabzi Mandi, Inspector Aslam Gujar is SHO Tarnol, Inspector Ashiq Mohammad is SHO Khana and Inspector Mohammad Siddique SHO Sihala.

SHOs Abdul Sattar Shah and Raja Tahir have been given other postings in the reshuffle.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2015

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