Dolphin darbar: Police cracked all previous cases of terrorism: IGP

Event commences with prayers for those killed in Sunday’s carnage

LAHORE: The first darbar of the Dolphin Force was held on Tuesday at Qila Gujjar Singh Police Lines.

The event, organised before the force goes into operation, kicked-off with prayers for those killed in Sunday’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal carnage. Speaking on the occasion, IGP Mushtaq Sukhera said those who had orchestrated the attack would be brought to justice soon just as police had cracked all earlier cases of terrorism. He said thousands of policemen had sacrificed their lives to rid the province of terrorism. Sukhera said police would continue to do so till the last terrorist standing in the Punjab had been killed.  The IGP said police had conducted 60 searches over the last 24 hours. He said the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) had conducted 17 while 91 combined operations had been carried out along with other intelligence agencies. Sukhera said 221 suspects had been nabbed and another 5,322 people had been questioned in the operations.

Over the last three months, he said, the CTD had conducted comprehensive operations against high-profile terrorists and their facilitators province-wide. Sukhera said the department had arrested 67 hardened terrorists and killed 24 others in encounters.  The IGP said each Dolphin Force member ought to man roads with a mentor’s spirit. He said the force was the first of its kind to be raised. Sukhera said the government had provided ample funds for it despite limited resources. He said the government, citizens and media persons would start monitoring the force’s proceedings the moment it became operational.

Briefing the IGP on the force’s operational strategy, CCPO Amin Wains and Operations DIG Haider Ashraf said the force’s constituents would be imparted one week of practical training. They said this would commence on Wednesday (today). The officials said the training would encompass field dynamics and standard operating procedures.

Wains and Ashraf said the force would operate across 138 beats. They said these included 110 red zone beats. The officials said all the beats would function under the oversight of the DIG. They said one SP, three DSPs, six inspectors and a dozen SI’s would supervise the beats under the DIG. The officials said all Dolphin Force personnel would remain in touch with other police units and liaise with banking and commercial representatives in their jurisdiction.  The CCPO further instructed Dolphin Force personnel to focus their energy on post-incident management by enabling on spot lodging of FIRs following the receipt of a complaint. He also directed them to notify complainants on WhatsApp in addition to mailing FIR copies to their address. Later, the IGP announced Rs25,000 cash rewards for all 25 of the force’s master trainers on the recommendation of Wains and Ashraf.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th,  2016.