KARACHI, Dec 12: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali on Thursday said that police must work as a service-oriented department and earn credibility to the extent that people could have faith and confidence that the department would restore justice to the aggrieved.

He was presiding over a high-level meeting at the Governor House here on Thursday. During a briefing on law and order situation, the PM said that police must come up to the expectations of the people who approach them to secure justice as public depended on police whenever they needed security.

He said there was a dire need to correct the people’s perception about police and the latter’s role as a facilitator in the maintenance of law and order.

The meeting was attended by Sindh Governor, Mohammedmian Soomro, Chief Secretary, K. B. Rind, DG Rangers, Maj-Gen Salahuddin Satti, IG Sindh, Syed Kamal Shah, Home Secretary, Mohammed Aslam Sanjrani, Principal Secretary to the Governor, Brig (r) Akhtar Zamin, Capital City Police Chief, Asad Ashraf Malik, DIG (Operation) Tariq Jamil, DIG Special Branch, Javed Iqbal and senior officials of different departments.

Prime Minister Jamali, while referring to vehicle-liftings, asked for the cordoning of all the exit points so as to ensure that the stolen vehicles could not cross the provincial border. He stressed the need for containing the menace effectively.

Appreciating the working and performance of the Rangers, Mr Jamali remarked that efforts by all the agencies should be pooled for the attainment of the common objective i.e. ensuring an improved law and order. He exhorted the intelligence agencies to become more active, functional and effective at the thana level.

He advised the police: “Don’t humiliate people... Do carry out search but without insulting the law-abiding citizens.”

The PM said that the government believed in practical moves. He asked for a comprehensive and workable plan to achieve the desired results.

He said he would again review law and order after six weeks to see the results after the implementation of the practical steps.

He declared that police could not deliver unless they enjoyed people’s confidence. He laid special emphasis on pursuing effective preventive measures observing that “prevention is better than cure.”

Mr Jamali stressed the need for further coordination among law enforcement and intelligence agencies and ordered them to ensure protection to the life and property of the common man. This objective, he added, could be achieved by developing a better liaison with the people at every level.

“Whatever we are today is because of Pakistan and it is our responsibility to work for the progress of the country and prosperity of its people,” he declared.

The prime minister told the police officials: “I will keep myself engaged in the development of the country and will also keep pursuing you for the same.”

On his part, the governor held out the assurance that practical measures would be taken to achieve desired results as per the PM’s directives.

The chief secretary, briefing the Prime Minister about law and order situation in the province, said that urban and rural crimes differed in nature and the administration pursued a combat policy accordingly. The IGP apprised the meeting of border and sectarian crimes as well as vehicle-lifting cases.

He said that eight different groups, involved in acts of terrorism and sectarian violence had been busted with the arrest of 32 criminals in 115 such cases. He said that 11 gangs of criminals were also busted in rural areas.

Regarding cases of car-theft, the IGP told the meeting that due to the efforts of the ACLC, car-theft cases during Ramazan registered a 38 per cent decline in comparison with the previous Ramazan.

He also briefed the meeting about the performance of Rapid Force, installation of surveillance cameras, establishment of CID department, start of ‘SOS hour’ on radio as well as setting up of ‘Madadgar 15’ centres — six in Karachi, seven in Hyderabad and eight in Sukkur.

Under the police reforms, he said, independent Prosecution Service and Public Safety Commission have been established as a result of which the rate of challans submitted with the courts had increased from 11 to 40 per cent while that of convictions by 15 per cent.

He said that in order to check crimes in katcha areas, 172 check posts had been set up different areas.

The IGP said that the police department had been revamped internally.

Departmental inquiry panels were formed and recruiting system made transparent, he added. He stated that 879 FIRs had been registered against police officials.

VISITORS: A number of delegations and individuals called on the Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Jamali, at the Governor House here on Thursday. Governor Mohammedmian Soomro was also present during the meetings.