Model police stations fail to change Punjab Thana culture

100 stations set up in the city showed no extraordinary performance

LAHORE: The Chief Minister’s Inspection Team has asked the Inspector-General of Police Punjab to send progress report on the performance of hundreds of model police stations set up in Punjab.

Like many other previous projects, this project to change the Thana culture appears to have failed to achieve desired objectives.

These model police stations neither showed extraordinary performance in combating crimes nor helped change behaviour of police personnel in dealing with the general public. Allegations of corruption still prevail against policemen manning these police stations.

Chief Minister’s Inspection Team also sought details of funds provided to the individual district police offices for the smooth functioning of model police stations over the past five years, besides calling for details of funds provided to individual model police stations (month-wise) and how the money was disbursed.

Details were also sought regarding district-wise postings and transfers of accountants and motor transport officers for the same period, motorcycles provided to the individual police stations in accordance with their stock registers, additional vehicles and details of SHOs posted at individual police stations since the project’s inception.

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif initiated work to set up as many as 100 model police stations as part of an initiative to change the ‘thana culture’.

Under this project, billions of rupees were spent to build state-of-the-art buildings and provide extra facilities to these police stations.

Subsequently, the IG office appointed the DIG Discipline and Inspection, Shahzada Sultan, as the liaison officer for submitting this record to the inspection team.

On September 19, 2012, a hand-out issued by IG Office quoted IGP Punjab Muhammad Habibur Rehman as saying: “Efforts are underway to establish all Model Police Stations in the province on the pattern of Danewal model police station located in Vehari district and all available resources are being utilised for this purpose.”

He was presiding over a meeting held to review the progress on the project of model police stations at Central Police Office.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Additional IG Welfare and Finance Sarmad Saeed Khan, AIG (I&V) Farooq Amin Qurashi, AIG Logistics Raja Riffat Mukhtar, AIG Vigilance Sajjad Hassan Khan, DPO Vehari Ali Nasir Rizvi, and Consultant to Model Police Station Dr Usman.

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