Efficiency evaluation: Capital’s model police stations to undergo audit

Authorities mull abandoning paper culture, adopting e-policing and online FIR registration

ISLAMABAD: Following on from the government’s efforts to reform the police force, the Islamabad Police has decided to conduct a performance audit of the seven model police stations set up in the city. Moreover, they have decided to computerise the records of all the police precincts.

Decisions in this regard were taken at the Central Police Office (CPO) were overall performance of the capital’s police is being reviewed.

In this regard, it has been decided that teams will be constituted to review the performance audit of these model police stations. The teams will obtain performance feedback from citizens and review the mechanism through which their issues and complaints are addressed.

Moreover, the facilities being provided to the public at these police stations will also be reviewed and it will be assessed whether these facilities were being used appropriately or not.

A police officer with knowledge of the matter but who did not wish to be named since he was not authorised to speak to the media, said that the decision to undertake a performance audit was made to monitor and improve the performance of the model police stations.

As for the remaining 15 police stations in the federal capital, the authorities have decided to improve the working environment there, especially in the reporting rooms to bring it at par with model police stations.

The official added that a mechanism would be devised to obtain feedback from citizens about model policing and the environment of the police stations. Moreover, he said that there were plans to hire at least one technological officer for all existing and future model police stations in the capital. This officer, the official explained, should be well-versed in the latest technology relating to policing functions.

Moreover, authorities have also decided to abandon the traditional paper culture and instead adopt e-policing strategies besides computerising police records of all police stations on a daily basis.

In this regard, he said that around 80 per cent of the work at the CPO has now been made paper-free. Furthermore, they will soon implement the online First Information Reports (FIRs) registration system, as was introduced in neighbouring Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Islamabad Police, he said, has also decided to take strict action against those illegally occupying the property of others and to provide relief to the citizens.

Strict vigilance and monitoring of guest houses within Islamabad Capital Territory will be ensured by the Islamabad Police.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2018.