THE government in Balochistan has decided to merge the Levies force of Gwadar, Lasbela and Quetta districts with the police. The Levies force has a great history. It is playing a vital role in maintaining law and order, and doing surveillance in remote areas.

The force has been praised for efficiency and reliability compared to police. This is primarily due to the fact that it predominantly consists of local officers who are well-known amongst the locals, thus fulfilling the concept of community policing, whereas the police mostly consists of non-locals. Areas within the jurisdiction of the Levies are safe from the menace of robbery, street crimes and other anti-social activities. The same cannot be said about areas under the control of police.

It is imperative for the government to have a word with the locals of remote areas to take them into confidence before merging the two forces.

Muhammad Naseem
Pasni

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2021