LAHORE: Following the rising trend of public complaints, the Punjab police department has decided to tighten the noose around ‘incompetent’ officers across the province.

As a part of the accountability mechanism, nine ‘corrupt’ station house officers (SHOs) posted in Rawalpindi have been removed and closed to the police lines [non-field task] with a direction not to make their appointments in future in any police station of the city or region.

The action has been initiated against them in the light of an inquiry carried out by two additional inspectors general (BS-21) of Punjab.

An official told Dawn that Punjab IGP Rao Sardar Ali Khan had ordered a probe into a complaint about posting of SHOs having a ‘tainted’ profile in Rawalpindi.

Consequently, he said, the two senior police officers checked the record of 19 SHOs recently posted by the Rawalpindi city police officer (CPO), and recommended action against nine of them.

Explanation sought from 26 SPs and 13 ASPs for ignoring public complaints

According to the inquiry officials, nine SHOs posted in Rawalpindi were ‘corrupt’ and they must be banned for such kind of appointments in future.

Following the inquiry report, the CPO removed two of them while the RPO closed seven others to the police lines, the official said.

In the related development, the IG has intensified departmental accountability and issued explanation letters to 50 other police officers of the province, including 26 SPs and 13 ASPs, for not addressing public complaints.

The action was proposed against them in the light of separate inquiry reports compiled by senior officials while reviewing the performance of complaint centre 1787.

It was said to be a first step initiated against ‘too many’ BS-18 police officers by the IG to end the longstanding issue of discrimination while punishing the rankers and the PSPs.

A spokesperson for the Punjab police said the IG was of the view that the purpose of accountability was to improve the process of providing services to the citizens.

He said Rao Sardar has issued a warning to all the supervisory officers and the department [in the next phase] would remove them from the field postings if more complaint were received.

The spokesperson said 21 deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) were also among those who have been served with explanation on multiple complaints.

He said the explanation letters were issued on delay in registration of FIRs, negligence in arrest of proclaimed offenders, poor investigation by subordinate staff, registration of false FIRs and negligence in recovery of case property.

The IG has issued an order to initiate further departmental action against the 50 police officers within seven days.

He has also warned of criminal action against those who failed to give satisfactory response during the course of departmental procedure.

Meanwhile, the IG has directed the regional police officers (RPOs) and district police officers (DPOs) to ensure that corruption, abuse of power and delay in registration of FIRs would not be tolerated in any case.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2022