RAWALPINDI: Punjab police already have some psychiatrists but they are insufficient so it has been decided to hire 30 psychologists in the force.

This was stated by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shoaib Dastagir at a press conference in Police Lines here on Tuesday.

“The police will decide whether these specialists will work in the force as regular employees or on contractual basis. We already have training institutes and are moving a summary for hiring the psychologists very soon,” he added.

Regional Police Officer Sohail Habib Tajik and City Police Officer Mohammad Ahsan Younas were also present on the occasion.

To a question regarding job stress on police officials and a recent suicide by a senior police officer at the Police Training School Rawat, the IGP said media in foreign countries regularly produced reports showing how their police were working in stress. Therefore, the media in Pakistan should also adopt that practice so that people could know how the police are working in pressure.

Says like in foreign countries, media in Pakistan should show how police are working under pressure

“Our media should bring the job stress in policing in the public domain,” the IGP said.

He also stressed the need for bridging the gap between the public and government institutions through good governance.

The IGP appreciated efforts made by the Rawalpindi police regarding registration of public complaints that had been pending.

He said the police were not worried about the increase in number of cases as its top priority was to ensure quality investigation.

“The registration of 1,300 cases of property (theft and robberies) was a police duty to address public complaints.”

The IGP said though the police had been working under limited resources, they were concentrating on skill building and using technology for detection of cases.

“Perception is very important than reality and we (the police and media) should not destroy it,” the IGP said, adding media and police should have strong relations.

To another question, the IGP said government institutions cannot perform well without operational independence and the police had been given a level-playing field to perform. Therefore, police are doing their best within the available resources.

With the increase in population, he added, there was a need for more police stations and he was taking up the construction of new police stations with the government.

He said the police had been coordinating with other concerned departments to provide security during the upcoming cricket matches between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Earlier, the IGP inaugurated a control room established at the Police Lines along with police welfare projects. The command and control room will be having police station record management, complaint management, dolphin force and an investigation facilitation centre.

The IGP asked the officers to conduct surprise raids on police stations and take strict action against those found not following the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2020