Key proposals sent to govt for approval

Experts say there is a desperate need to modernise laws

LAHORE: Authorities have prepared the first volume of the proposed draft of Punjab Police Book Rules 2017 and the same was sent to the provincial government for approval.

The department had been run according to Police Rules 1934. Many of the administrative points of Police Rules 1934 had become redundant. Experts said there was a great need for an amendment to reform the department.



In 2008, at the National Police Bureau Islamabad, it was decided during a meeting that Police Rules 2002 needed a review and all the provinces were assigned this task. Former IG Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera had formed a committee and subcommittees to perform the task.

Newly appointed IG Arif Nawaz gave the same task to DIG Research and Development Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir and told him to prepare the draft by August 31, 2017. He also ordered AIG Legislative Business Imran Mehmood to assist him.

They supervised the committees for the purpose and prepared draft of The Punjab Police Rules (Vol 1) which comprised eight chapters. The draft has been sent to the Punjab Government and another four chapters were to be prepared in four months, the spokesman of the IGP said.

The Police department is run according to three types of laws; Police Order (2002), Police Rules 1934 (administrative rules), Criminal Procedure Code (1898) (rules and regulations dealing with code of criminal procedure- like powers of investigation officers, arrests, courts etc) and Pakistan Penal Code 1860 (definitions of criminal offences and punishments for these).



Police Order (2002) was introduced during the Musharraf regime with the aim to turn the force into an independent and accountable entity. It was also meant to transform the force from a rural policing model to an urban one.

Police Order 2002 broadly dealt with departmental matters of jurisdiction and powers. However, it was not fully implemented. Later on, amendments were introduced that nullified its purpose. After the Police Order 2002, Police Rules 1934, CrPC 1898 and PPC were not amended and hence reforms were introduced at a higher level but did not trickle down to the grassroots level.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2017.