Involving citizens: Pindi RPO promises to introduce community policing

Says working to improve liaison with public, curb crimes with limited means

RAWALPINDI: A day after he held impromptu town hall meetings with local residents in mosques, Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Fayyaz Ahmed Dev has vowed to maintain close liaison with the public to help curb crime apart from launching a community policing initiative.

On Sunday, Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer (RPO) Fayyaz Ahmed Dev had decided to join congregations in various mosques of the city at Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha.

The Regional Police Office in a statement had said that RPO Dev had visited the Islamia Jamia Mosque at Liaquat Bagh within the remits of the Waris Khan police station, the Moti Jamia Mosque at Taj Company Chowk within the remits of the city police station, the Faiz Jamia Mosque within the remits of the Ganjmandi police station and the Qabai Jamia Mosque in Commercial Market within the remits of the New Town police station.

After the prayers, he heard the grievances of the public. So sudden was the move that even station house officers of the relevant police stations were not informed and had to scramble to reach the relevant mosque.



However, this also meant that the sessions were poorly attended.

“The public’s reaction was worth seeing,” Dev told of his visits to the Daily Express on Monday. He further said that the people kept looking at him for a long time.

The RPO said that he heard issues of the public and also explained his point of view to the locals.

He added that they were committed to providing quality policing within available means with the help of the local community.

“The people want to play their part in improving the society,” he said, adding that the Rawalpindi police will not disappoint them.

“Every police officer of Rawalpindi has to maintain a connection with the people in order to gain better feedback,” the RPO said, adding that he would continue visiting different mosques to maintain a strong liaison with the public.

In this regard, the RPO said that he will be promoting community policing.



Talking about the shortage of resources they face, he said that during the colonial era, having a policeman for 400 people was considered significant. Today, this ratio had more than doubled with just one cop for some 850 people.

“This equation is now imbalanced because the population [of the city] has now increased,” he said.

He stressed on improving the police station culture.

Asked about the measures taken to tackle crime in the city, the RPO claimed that they have eliminated more than 60 per cent of safe havens of drug peddlers while a number of gangs involved in various criminal activities were busted.

He said they had devised plans to uproot organised crime in the city.

Earlier on Sunday, as the public narrated their complaints, RPO Dev had stated that they will be setting up pickets and patrols to crack down on street crime. He had assured the public that their concerns in this regard will be considered.

He had further said that a liaison committee will be formed in every area of the city which would convey the difficulties of the public to him.

Further, he said that his doors were always open for the public and assured the public that actions will be taken against any complaints they have about police officers.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2019.