RAWALPINDI: Efforts by the inspector general of police Punjab to appoint hardworking and reputed inspectors as the station house officers across the province after getting their clearance from intelligence agencies did not produce the desired results as all the chosen officials were found involved in corruption and malpractices.

Presiding over a meeting, Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera, the IGP, expressed concern over the development. “Complaints against officers who were cleared by intelligence agencies indicated that the whole exercise was not carried out with due care,” the IGP told the meeting.

He said there was an urgent need to review the list of police inspectors who were posted as SHOs but were later found involved in corrupt practices. He directed to also revise the list of the subdivisional police officers.

It may be noted that a large number of police officers with good reputation and hardworking job performance, who were also cleared by intelligence agencies, were posted as SHOs across the province to bring a change in the “thana culture.”

But the IGP had to order the review of the lists of the police officers on an urgent basis after receiving complaints of corruption and malpractices against the SHOs.

All the divisional police chiefs were directed to prepare new lists of officials and send it to his office so that those having good job performance record could be appointed as SHOs.

The IGP also directed the senior police officers to also prepare a list of SDPOs on similar lines. He told the meeting that after the intelligence-cleared police officers are appointed as the SHOs, they should be given a reasonable period of time to work on the posts unless they were found involved in corruption and malpractices.

The IGP also hinted that the scrutiny by intelligence agencies for the selection of “good officers” was not carried out with care.

He also expressed displeasure over the poor monitoring of under-investigation heinous cases and directed the divisional police chiefs to summon the investigation officers along with the record of the cases on a daily basis to ensure the early submission of the challans of the cases.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2015

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