RAWALPINDI: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Amjad Javed Saleemi on Tuesday said Sahiwal-like incidents do occur but if someone was found involved in misuse of power he would be punished.

“Such incidents do occur and there is always a silver lining that is if the police have done any highhandedness in the Sahiwal tragedy, we shall compensate it by mending the police attitude. If anybody has done wrong, he would be punished,” the IGP said.

The IGP was talking to mediapersons after the passing-out parade of 1,018 recruits at the Police Training School, Rawat.

Besides parents and relatives of the recruits, Additional Inspector General of Police (training) Tariq Masood Yasin and other officials were also present.

The police chief said close circuit television cameras had been made operational in police stations to ensure online monitoring of station house officers and their public dealing for two hours daily.

He said ethics-based modules had also been introduced in police training to improve attitude of the officials towards the citizens.

The IGP expressed the hope that the new recruits would play their role in checking crimes and bridging the gap between the police and citizens.

Of the recruits, five were master degree holders, 17 graduates, 21 Hafiz-i-Quran, 452 intermediate and 484 matriculates.

Among them, 72 were sons of police officers and 11 sons of martyred personnel.All the recruits were selected through the National Testing Service (NTS).

Stressing the need for modern training, the IGP said though the police had been facing manpower shortage the main issue was lack of resources and ethics-based training.

He said the government was spending $6 per annum on one police official whereas this ratio was $17 per official in the Indian Punjab.

He said ethics-based modules had been introduced in police training schools and colleges to improve police attitude towards the public.

He also said: “We have been trying to get the government realise and provide resources to the police.”

To a question about the investigation into the murder of former senator Maulana Samiul Haq, the IGP said the police had made a good progress on the probe.

About the surge in street crimes in the Rawalpindi district, he said unemployed educated youth had been found involved in petty crimes such as purse snatching, mobile and cash snatching but the police had smashed several gangs of criminals.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2019