Access to information: Policemen warned not to talk to press

Help desks for overseas Pakistanis to be set up in Jhelum, Sialkot and Gujrat.

LAHORE:

The inspector general (IG) of Punjab Police issued an 18-point code of conduct for policemen on Thursday that should build public confidence in the force and make it more professional and disciplined, said Additional IG (Research and Development) Malik Khuda Bakhsh Awan.

The code instructs policemen to act with honesty, integrity, impartiality, politeness and tolerance. It discusses the use of force against suspects, making sure suspects in custody remain alive, and the police’s powers to search persons and their homes. It says policemen must be “decent” when searching people. They must not give in to extra-departmental influence.

No policeman may communicate to the press as this is the sole prerogative of district police officers (DPOs) and regional police officers (RPOs), says the code. Policemen must not participate in political affairs or approach any authority for personal gain. They must maintain a neat appearance at all times.

Awan, the additional IG, said copies of the code of conduct had been sent to DPOs and RPOs. He said violations of the code would be punished under the Punjab Employees’ Efficiency, Disciplinary and Accountability Act, 2006.

Overseas Pakistanis

IG Javed Iqbal has also decided to set up special help desks in three cities to assist overseas Pakistanis, Awan said. The desks would help resolve their criminal cases promptly and efficiently, he said.

He said these desks would be created in Jhelum, Sialkot and Gujrat, adding that 11.1 per cent, 10.9 per cent and 10.7 per cent of the respective populations of these three cities lived overseas. “That is why they were chosen for the pilot project,” he said.

Each desk would be headed by a sub inspector who was a graduate. Three assistant sub inspectors who were also graduates would man the helpline in three 8-hour shifts every days. The helplines would be set up in DPO offices and would have dedicated UAN phone numbers.

He said that the most common forms of crime affecting expatriate Pakistanis were abduction, domestic disputes and property crime. He said that these helplines would not only register complaints by overseas Pakistanis who have been victims of crime but also by their relatives on their behalf. Awan said each complaint – whether received by telephone, email, fax or post – would be registered and immediately placed before the DPO for prompt action. Overseas Pakistanis send about $8 billion in foreign exchange to the country every year, making them one of the most important parts of the economy.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2011.