ISLAMABAD: Top police officials across the country have welcomed a decision by the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) to withdraw judicial officers’ powers of issuing orders to police for registration of FIRs.

Under existing rules, an additional district and sessions judge can entertain an application for registration of FIR in case the station house officer concerned refuses to do so. However, a committee on police reforms has now recommended that instead of judicial officers, senior police officers be assigned this responsibility.

A joint statement issued by the inspectors general of police from all the four provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltisdtan, said the Law and Justice Commission had set up a Police Reforms Committee (PRC) last year to recommend the way forward on police reforms.

The PRC submitted a report in January.

The most important point suggested by the PRC was to give the highest priority to redress of public complaints against police. It was suggested that SPs and DSPs of good reputation be assigned the task of attending to public complaints against police in every district.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2019