Police open complaint cell for people

All calls to be recorded, dealt with in three days.

KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza inaugurated a complaint centre at the home department on Wednesday. Anyone can call to complain against the police department, target killings, terrorism and any other crime.

“The centre has been established to improve the police department’s performance and allow the public to hold them accountable,” Mirza said.

Consultant Home Affairs Sharfuddin Memon highlighted the benefits of the complaint cell. “All calls will be recorded and prompt action will be taken against all complaints within three days.” Weekly reports will be shared with zonal DIGPs and action against guilty police officials will be taken.

Capital City Police Officer Fayyaz Leghari said it would help the police perform their duties in a more effective way.

The complaint centre will initially work in two shifts, but will eventually run on a 24-hour basis. “Hopefully, this will help bridge the gap between the police and citizens,” said Leghari.

Mirza criticized the administration of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and pointed out that instead of a four-year term the current CPLC chief has been appointed on an ad-hoc basis. The minister said that the home department wrote the current CPLC chief, asking about the organisation’s performance and his political affiliation. “The citizens’ confidence and trust in the CPLC is being affected because of the organisation’s political affiliations,” he remarked.

The minister also spoke of the recent politically motivated target killings and said that the home department was taking various measures against suspects. When asked about illegal arms, the minister said that disarmament campaigns would be useless in Karachi since criminals would just get them from other areas. “I have talked to the federal minister for interior about comprehensive plans to deweaponise the whole country,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2010.