DERA GHAZI KHAN, Aug 5: River police will be formed in Punjab to eliminate the hideouts of rustlers and other hardened criminals along the riversides, Inspector General (IG) Shaukat Javed told reporters on Tuesday.

Mr Javed said the river police would be formed to provide security to the people living along the riversides in Punjab.

He said reforms would be introduced in the Police Department to make it a people-friendly organisation. He added that in the future police would go to the complainant to register the case.

He said all police stations would be linked with networking and record would be computerised.

He said police officer found guilty of torturing an accused could get five years imprisonment. The IG directed Regional Police Officer Mubarik Ali Athar to probe into a robbery at Sheikh Meraj Din and Company on Circuit Road.