SHEIKHUPURA, June 16: Where there is one policeman to protect the lives and properties of 1,468 people, the crime situation in that area can be anybody's guess. This situation is true about the Sheikhupura district, which is facing shortage of policemen due to which lawlessness has assumed alarming proportions.

According to official figures, the population of the district has exceeded 3.5 million, but the 2,385 sanctioned posts of police force (from constable to DPO) at 25 police stations have not been enhanced since 1982.

The district is on top of the crime list in the province and every year more than 12,000 cases are registered at 25 police stations, but there has been no increase in the number of police officials ever since.

Having links with eight districts, including Amritsar, the Sheikhupura district has 2,813-kilometre metalled roads, 67-kilometre motorway, 254-kilometre railway track and 34 railway stations.

The total sanctioned posts of policemen are: DPO, an additional SP, an SP (investigation), a DSP (traffic), a DSP (headquarters), six SDPOs, 61 inspectors, 160 sub-inspectors, 312 assistant sub-inspectors, 184 head constables and 1,843 constables (including 25 women).

Sources said the district was running short of two inspectors, four SIs, 28 ASIs, 10 head constables, a woman head constable, and four women constables. Local police officials said they had to perform a wide range of duties, including taking attendance in police stations round the clock, pickets, patrolling, guarding judicial lock up (hawalat pehra), VIP visits, security, interrogation, law and order, and traffic control.

With the shortage of the force, police staffers from far-flung areas had to appear in courts, district public safety commission secretariat, and offices of senior police officials, they said.

According to rules, one constable is required for 450 people. Therefore, the district required 7,556 constables for its total population, but it had only 1,657. Besides, they said, it was running short of 1,889 head constables, 756 ASIs, 338 SIs and 94 inspectors.

A police official told this correspondent that they had to perform duties round the clock due to which they could not do justice to their job. Most of the officials were fed up with the job becaue of long duty hours.

He regretted that these officials were paid miserly and they could hardly make both ends meet. These officials, he said, could not even do some part-time job to earn for their families.

He said the first step towards improving the law and order situation was to make in-house chages, besides ensuring handsome salaries and basic facilities for the officials. He said more personnel should be recruited immediately to overcome the shortage and effectively fight crime.