LAHORE, July 3: No rules have been devised so far for allocation and management of Rs35 million available to police during the current fiscal for investigation of crimes.

It is for the second time in the country’s history that a separate allocation has been made for investigation.

Two months before the lapse of the last fiscal, the Punjab police were given Rs50 million for investigation but the amount could not be utilized due to shortage of time. It, was, however, used by the Punjab police under different heads like purchase of stationary, furniture and vehicles etc.

“Nothing has so far been conveyed to us in this regard,” Lahore DPO Javed Noor told Dawn, saying the Punjab government would devise rules and regulations for the spending and management of funds.

Mr Noor hoped the amount would help improve the investigation standard as well as giving a relief to officers involved.

Giving a rough sketch of the management of the amount, the DPO said it would be put at the disposal of the respective police heads in the province who would further distribute it among police stations and investigation centres falling in their jurisdictions. The distribution would be made according to crime rate and work load of investigators, he added.

“I don’t think there is a need to set up a separate section or branch to deal with the cost of investigation and working related to it,” Mr Noor believed.

“An investigator will simply tell his head how much money he needs to preserve a crime scene, carry out raids, get prepared maps, stationary and other expenditures.”

For more details, the DPO said he was not supposed to answer all questions related to the issue. It would actually be finalized by the government with the coordination of the Punjab police, he added.

Sources in the police department, however, said that a team comprising officers from the senior Punjab police hierarchy was working on the management of allocation for investigation. It had reportedly prepared a list of offences with proposed allocation for each of them, they said, adding the list had proposed Rs25,000 for murder investigation and given different amounts for different offences.

The exercise of estimating cost on each of the offence is on very initial stage, said one of the team members when contacted by this reporter. Initially he refused to talk on the issue, but, later, he said on condition of anonymity: “We will finalize the management of allocation for investigation in a week or two.” However, he said the rest would be decided by the Punjab government.

Sources in the police department apprehended that the exercise would make no difference as far as the old police practice of extorting money from parties involved in a case was concerned.

First, the sources believed, it was unlikely that the amount would go to investigators. They might be asked by their seniors to keep the old practice going on, they said. “Even if the money goes to investigators, there is not guarantee that they will not extort money from parties involved in a case.”

On the other hand, the first ever investigation centre set up in the city is facing different problems, though the DPO believes things are improving steadily. Lack of resources and lack of coordination between different branches are main problems the separated investigation system is facing with.

Sixteen investigation centres are working in Lahore. Five of them —- Chuhng, Allama Iqbal Town, Sanda, Baghbanpura and Kot Lakhpat —- are housed in rented buildings and others, too, do not have own buildings as they have been set up in police stations.

“It is hindering the working,” SP organized crimes Aslam Sahi said. At least all the investigation centres should have independent buildings, he said, claiming proposals to this effect were under consideration.

“It is possible even without having new buildings by increasing the number of police stations working under the operations and preventions wing.”

Some 107 squads work with 16 investigation centres. Fifty three of them work on crimes against property, 18 on crimes against person, eight on fraud and forgery, 11 on anti-car-lifting staff, as many on anti-motorcycle-lifting staff, two on terrorism and four on drugs.

Only one vehicle and two motorcycles have been provided to each investigation centre. The number of the motorcycles doubled for each investigation centre in the past few days when some 97 new motorcycles were given to the Lahore police, the DPO said.

“Ideally the proportion should be one vehicle and two motorcycles for each of 107 squads.” It means there should be 107 vehicles and at least 215 motorcycles for the 16 investigation centres.

Ironically, none of the investigation centres has its own lockup. The investigators have to detain the accused in their custody in the lockup functioning under the operations and preventions wing.