KOHAT: The district council has unanimously asked the provincial legislature to convert the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Ordinance 2016 into an act by undertaking requisite initiatives.

In a resolution, the council also appealed to the provincial government and police department that the shortage faced by Kohat police in terms of personnel, operational vehicles and protective equipment be fulfilled on priority.

In pursuance of the recently-enacted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Ordinance 2016 an appraisal session of the district council was convened by police on Wednesday. The session was attended by district police officer Mohammad Sohaib Ashraf, district nazim Maulana Niaz Mohammad, opposition leader Naseem Afridi, councillors and officers of Kohat police.

The council was briefed about the actions taken by the district police for crime control. The progress made by the district police under the National Action Plan and the recently-enacted provincial counter-terrorism laws was also shared with the council members.

The DPO informed the councillors of the initiatives and institutional reforms undertaken in police for capacity building, community engagement and enhanced service delivery during the past two years. He claimed that corruption had largely ended, however in some cases police personnel were involved in petty bribe cases. The DPO also talked about the provisions of recently-enacted police ordinance 2016, saying that the new law had brought about a model shift in police administration by entrusting the external accountability of police to public bodies.

Speaking on the occasion, the council members from across the district expressed their satisfaction over the efforts undertaken by Kohat police for maintaining the law and order.

In another resolution, presented by JUI-F councillor Faheem, the house paid rich tribute to the police sacrifices and reposed confidence in efforts of the Kohat police.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2016