Dolphin squad. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE: Dolphin Squad, a patrolling wing of Lahore Police which was developed after spending billions of rupees to promote community policing, is time and again proving itself to be a troubled force.
Every other day, either complaints of trespassing and misuse of authority or incidents of shooting at innocent persons are reported.
In the early hours of Saturday last week, the force, instead of helping out a victim shopkeeper named Abdul Waheed, shot at and injured him. Police, instead of rectifying their mistake, attempted to put the matter under the rug by attributing the firing incident to suspected robbers rather than their own officials, in an FIR.
As per details obtained by The Express Tribune, two suspected robbers had attempted to loot a shopkeeper on Abdali Road, Islampura.
The victim resisted the robbery bid. Meanwhile, a passerby witnessed the incident and called police, to which a Dolphin Squad team responded.
The victim alleged that Dolphin force resorted to indiscriminate firing and shot at him. He suffered bullet injuries and was shifted to a nearby hospital.
However, Inspector Tariq of Mozang police station, who was the complainant of the FIR registered over the incident, attempted to cover up the issue by attributing the bullet injury to suspected robbers.
However, the truth about the incident was revealed after the victim appeared before the media.
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Zulfiqar Hameed, while speaking on the issue, termed it an unfortunate incident. He claimed that Dolphin force officials had acted due to a misunderstanding. He also issued orders to inquire into the matter and take action according to the law. The CCPO continued that he had also asked the Dolphin force SP to arrange training of the squad on a regular basis.
The Dolphin Squad was formed with the cooperation of the Turkish government. It was provided state-of-the-art facilities, including motorcycles and infrastructure, worth millions of rupees. Training was also imparted by Turkish police.
The purpose was to control crime, build image of the force as well as promote community policing. However, the squad has failed to meet the expectations. This latest incident is not the only case of abuse of power that has claimed the life of an innocent person or caused injury to a citizen.
In May last year, personnel of the squad shot dead a woman named Nasreen Waris Maseeh in Nishtar Colony while she was returning to Youhanabad from the Punjab Institute of Cardiology. Dolphin Squad claimed that their officials had resorted to firing in retaliation to suspected robbers.
In September 2019, the squad had shot at and injured a youth in Gulberg, allegedly for ignoring their instruction to stop. The officials shifted the injured to a hospital.
In November 2018, the force shot and killed a man in Gulshan-e-Ravi.
In June 2018, a teenage boy was shot dead in an alleged encounter between the Dolphin force and suspected robbers on Band Road. Police officials claimed that they were chasing the suspects’ car when they opened fire. The officials retaliated and the boy was caught in the crossfire. As a result, the victim died on the spot. The suspects were arrested by police. However, no weapon was found in their possession.
To address the issue, the then inspector general of police, Arif Nawaz Khan, had held a high-level meeting. A former Dolphin Squad SP also arranged refresher courses to teach the officials standard operating procedures. However, despite such efforts, an improvement in the situation is yet to materialise.
Besides the Dolphin Squad, another mega project of the previous government to improve law and order, named Punjab Safe City Authority, is also biting the dust.
The project was launched after spending billions of rupees. Modern equipment was imported and around 8,000 CCTV cameras were installed throughout the city. The project’s purpose was surveillance, monitoring and assisting in crime-fighting. Reportedly, statistics indicated an increase in crime rates rather than a decrease. Later on, it was reported that around half of the cameras of the project were not functioning.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2020.
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