Lahore law enforcers set for a major upgrade

A four-year strategic development plan is only pending CM’s approval

LAHORE : The Lahore Police is set to receive an overhaul, aimed at making the law enforcement unit in the provincial capital more efficient in carrying out its role.

The four-year strategic development plan, which is waiting for the final seal of approval at the chief minister’s office, is expected to restructure the police department at multiple levels. In the long run, the proposed plan will help the primary law enforcement wing of the province capital to curb crime, improve its contact with the public, introduce Internal and external accountability, and address public complaints in a better manner.

“We’ve created this plan after years of research. If approved, this plan can revolutionize the police culture,” said Capital City Police Officer BA Nasir. Under the plan, all officers will go through mental and physical screening before being promoted. The department will also hire psychologists to carry out detailed assessments. If approved, the depleted department will induct more than 20,000 new officers, 493 new vehicles, 1,678 new motorcycles, and 26 police stations will be constructed over the next four years. So far more than 40% of the department’s vehicles are decommissioned or in poor condition.

In the broad reconfiguration, the police department will also get a new 13-story central headquarter in the provincial capital at a whopping price tag of Rs450 million. “The strategic development plan was carefully crafted after years of research and closely examining police systems in Tokyo, New York, and London,” said an official. The plan also focuses on the department’s financial needs.

Currently, the Lahore police register has a total of 97,000 case entries every year. More than 80% of the budget allocated for the provincial capital’s police force ends up in employee pay cheques, and less than 15% goes to running the department.According to the information available with The Express Tribune, the current financial arrangements only allows the department to spend $7.42 per citizen, whereas, on the other side of the border in Indian Punjab, the department ends up spending more than $16 per citizen. Similarly, $135 is spent per citizen in Turkey, $630 in Hong Kong, and $754 for every person in London.

Spending

In its spending spree over the next four years, the department will dish out Rs. 2,410 million for new infrastructure, which includes a headquarter in Lahore, several police stations, and six customer facilitation centers.  To carry out the broad-spectrum overhaul plan, the coffers of the cash-strapped Punjab Police will receive Rs11,000 million. According to the plan, the Lahore Police will also have more financial resources at its disposal to conduct investigations. Previously, the Lahore Police had a budget of Rs20,000 for investigating a murder case. Under the new plan, that amount has increased by Rs27,000. Similarly, theft investigations will receive up to Rs26,070 for each case.

Shortage

Over the past few years, the Lahore police have suffered from a drought of resources. The department’s workforce stands at 36,825, with one police officer available for every 571 citizens. According to the police rule book, there should be one police officer for every 450 citizens, which still is far less than what International standards dictate. Apart from the workforce, the Lahore Police’s equipment inventory also seems exhausted. Out of the 757 vehicles, 46 are either in severe need of repair work or are unusable. More than 300 of these vehicles have crossed their 10-year limit. The department’s two-wheeler fleet has also outlived its expected years of service.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2019.