Police may remove posts from city

Committee suggests policemen deployed at posts should be transferred to police stations

LAHORE:  

The Lahore Police Reforms Committee has recommended removing all 40 police posts in the city in order to improve the crime-fighting strategy.

DIG Operations Waqas Nazir had established a committee, comprising SSP Operations Mustansir Feroz, SP Mobiles Bilal Zafar and SP Security Faisal Shahzad to prepare a report on the role of police posts in crime fighting.

The committee, after probing the matter thoroughly, recommended ending the police posts. It suggested policemen deployed at the posts should be transferred to various stations. The committee further suggested replacing the posts with efficient patrolling by the Dolphin Squad and Police Response Unit (PRU) in these areas.

The committee said that at least one police officer and half a dozen personnel of the rank of at least assistant sub-inspectors were deployed at a police post. It asked that these officials be transferred to police stations. This step, according to the committee, would enhance the resources of the police station, which is the basic unit of policing.

Senior Lahore police officials will further deliberate over the issue before taking a final decision.

A police post is a subunit of a police station. It is established for administrative purposes. A police post-in-charge can arrest and detain a suspect. However, an FIR of the case and further investigations were in the powers of the police station.

Earlier, Lahore police issued a revised standard operating procedure (SOP) for the checking of vehicles after the Sahiwal incident. The instructions were issued by SP Mobiles Lahore Bilal Zafar. He told officials not to take any action that could cost the lives of citizens.
Zafar demanded that they behave politely with the citizens at pickets. He had also said that the law should be followed when seizing illegal items such as drugs and weapons. “The action that is permitted by the law falls into the category of self-defense,” said Zafar. “In case a vehicle does not stop at a picket despite being signaled to do so, it should be reported through the wireless system to the police station concerned for its help to intercept." The SOP also bound police officers and officials to strictly follow time and wear a clean uniform.

According to the SOP, it is mandatory for all in charges of the post to have contact numbers of SHOs. The SOPs also stated that the documents of vehicles not be checked at posts and strict action would be taken if a complaint was received.

Zafar also asked the force to stop only suspicious vehicles. "Citizens should not unnecessarily be disturbed." He also asked them to behave politely so that the image of the department was not tainted in any way. “The force should use Android mobile phone/SVAS system so that the maximum number of suspicious persons and vehicles could be checked.”