LAHORE: In a bid to make police people-friendly and more accountable, Lahore capital city police have introduced a new policy framework for 2026, linking the performance of all the station house officers (SHOs) and other police officials to the public feedback.

Under the new policy, 2026 will be marked as a ‘transition year’ during which the police officials, from constable to SHO ranks, will address the male visitors as ‘Sir’ and females as ‘Mam’, and treat them with dignity and respect to improve the police image.

A senior official says Lahore’s all police stations will function as ‘citizen facilitation centres’ rather than ‘complaint deterrents’ in 2026.

He says that police’s rude behaviour with the members of the public visiting the police stations has been a huge challenge for the department high-ups for the last many decades and they have been mulling ways to restore people’s trust.

Currently, he says, Lahore has 84 police stations, supported by multiple Chowkis (police posts) and Police Khidmat Markaz facilities that provide services such as FIR registration, character certificates, and verification processes, in a structured environment.

A courteous, more accountable police envisaged for 2026

As per the new policy directions, discourteous behaviour and misuse of authority inside police station will trigger fast-track departmental action, including transfer and suspension from service, against the guilty officials.

The policy, he says, will make it binding for the SHO, Muharrar and other officials managing the police stations to officially record the statement/feedback of every visitor about their experience of interacting with the relevant police personnel, from the gate to the main office of the police building.

Similarly, the official says, the response time of the 15 emergency helpline and patrolling units will also be formally linked to the performance assessment of police stations, closing long-standing gaps between field response and station-level accountability.

He says that same performance criteria are being extended to police checkpoints, as complaints of unnecessary stoppages and harassment by the officials manning the pickets have been increasing.

Identity verification and security checks will remain within the bounds of law and will not be used to inconvenience the public, he says, adding that in order to address this chronic issue the police authorities have circulated new standard guidelines to be followed at the check posts in letter and spirit.

The official says that these measures are being taken following frequent reports ofaggressive behaviour of police officers that have been adversely affecting the public perception about the police.

The emphasis on service delivery follows extensive accountability measures taken by the department during 2025.

According to official data, over 470 police officers and personnel faced departmental or legal action during the last year for misconduct, negligence or abuse of authority. These actions, police leadership maintains, have helped rebuild public confidence and reinforce internal discipline.

While issuing the policy framework for 2026, the police department reiterated its zero-tolerance toward negligence and misconduct as demonstrated by the suspension of Ichhra SHO Mohammad Ilyas for his failure to ensure public safety.

The official adds that the SHO’s suspension is the beginning of a broader shift towards citizen-focused service delivery at police stations and checkpoints, as part of policing reforms.

He says that the action taken by DIG Operations Faisal Kamran, has sent a clear message across the force that accountability would be enforced without exception.

The DIG, in a recent meeting, told the divisional SPs that public protection and performance would be non-negotiable standards.

The disciplinary move is part of wider police reforms being rolled out in 2026 to ensure service delivery, accountability and respect for citizens, the official says.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2026