PESHAWAR, Nov 20: The provincial coordination council of district Public Safety Commissions (PSCs) and Police Complaints Commissions (PCCs) on Sunday asked the NWFP government to make the provincial commission operational for proper functioning of the district bodies.

The chairman of the council, Advocate Attaullah Jan, said that out of 24 districts in the NWFP, the district commissions had yet to be set up in three districts — Peshawar, Bannu and Tank.

At a news briefing after the meeting of the council here, Mr Jan said that proper mechanism for funding the commissions had yet to be approved. He added that lack of funds for the infrastructure had been hampering the smooth functioning of the commissions.

The meeting was attended by chairmen and members of various district commissions. The meeting took stock of important issues pertaining to the commissions including budget amendments made to the Police Order 2002; compliance and non-compliance of the commission directives by the police; establishment of provincial safety commission, etc.

Mr Jan informed that despite handicaps in their way, the respective district commissions had been trying to effectively handle the complaints submitted against police by the people. “We have also taken suo motu notice of different issues and issued proper directives to concern district police officers,” he added.

He informed that the establishment of the safety commissions on different level was a component of the Asian Development Bank’s funded Access to Justice Programme.

He regretted that although the members of the provincial public safety commission had been announced more than a year ago, but it had not been made functional as the provincial home minister was its ex-officio chairman and he had to convene the meeting. He added that as the NWFP chief minister had been looking after the home ministry, therefore he was the ex-officio chairman of the provincial commission.

Mr Jan informed that due to lack of funds the members had been spending their own money on the affairs of their respective district commissions. “Under the law honorarium should be given to the members, but till date that issue has not been resolved,” he added.

The coordination committee’s chairman informed that on Nov 26, 2004, the Police Order (Amendment) Ordinance was promulgated through which some changes were made in the law and the Public Safety Commissions were renamed as Public Safety and Police Complaint Commissions.

“The said ordinance has been re-promulgated on different occasions as its constitutional life is of four months,” Mr Jan stated. He added that a bill had been tabled in the National Assembly in that regard and was referred to the concerned standing committee.

He believed that the police had been trying to dilute the powers of safety commissions as these bodies were a check on their high handedness. Under section 155 (c) and (d) of the Police Order, he added, the non-compliance of the commission orders by the police amounted to a crime.

He informed that the main powers of these commissions were to check excesses committed by the police and to help people especially in registration of FIRs. “Under the Police Order these commissions enjoy power of civil court in summoning of a person or any relevant record,” Mr Jan added.

He highlighted various cases in which the district commissions had helped different complainants. He stressed on the need of creating awareness among the masses regarding the functioning of these commissions.

The commissions, he stated, had still been facing problems with the police as normally the police showed laxity in implementing orders of the commissions. In some districts the DPOs were very cooperative, but in majority of the districts they have been considering the safety commissions as a threat.