ISLAMABAD, Oct 16: Lack of awareness keeps women from joining police as only 3,700 have opted for this job, constituting only 0.86 per cent of the overall strength of the police force as against 10 per cent quota.

This information was shared at a ‘group discussion on women police’ which was organised by a non-governmental organization, Individualland Pakistan (ILP), in collaboration with Royal Norwegian Embassy on Tuesday.

The NGO said fear and lack of awareness discouraged women complainants from visiting police stations in the cities like Karachi and Peshawar.

Coordinator of ILP Shaukat Ali Ashraf said that there are only 20 women police stations all over the country except for Balochistan where it did not exist.

In South Zone Karachi no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered since 2007 and in Peshawar the women cell has been lying idle since 1994.

“Women police officials do not have proper accommodations/hostels, they even do not get pick and drop service due to which they face a lot of problems,” he said.

Motorway Police Officer, Asma Bashir said they used to get more salary some ten years back as compared to federal police but the government had now stopped special allowance equaling to one basic salary multiplying their problems.

“Now we get less fuel which has affected our response time. We get 10 liters petrol for the patrolling of 8 hours shift. We should also get risk allowance because we face and arrest criminal but we don’t get it,” she said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Headquarters Rawalpindi Tahir Sikandar said that women police officials get salary and facilities equaling to male officers so they should not demand relaxation.

“Women officials always give their kids and house hold responsibilities as excuse for not doing their job properly. They get same training which is for men so they should understand that they have to give proper time to their jobs,” he said.

The deputy director, National Police Bureau, Mehreen Bibi, said a database was being prepared to deal with the issues of women police officers.

Traffic police officer Sherin Wahid said women police officials had been facing problems but with the passage of time they had been addressed.

Participants were informed that majority of people did not allow their sisters and daughters to join police force.

It was suggested that 10 per cent quota for female police officers should be implemented and masses should be given awareness of the importance of women police.

Participants were informed that DSP Shahzadi Gulfam had served in United Nations Peace Operation in Kosovo in 1999 and Timor-Leste in 2007.

She also received the 2011 International Female Police Peacekeeper Award.