Assistant muharrars barred from securing police warehouses

The violations were taking place in all 30 police stations of the city

RAWALPINDI: In a bid to ensure adherence to the rules and stop the disappearance of evidence, the Rawalpindi police have barred assistant muharrars (station clerks) from guarding the warehouses in all precincts of the district.

Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Ahsan Younus on Sunday took strong exception to the violation of the Punjab Police Rules 1934, and directed all station house officers (SHOs) in the city to ensure that the rules are implemented and the clerks are barred from accessing the warehouse.

As per the rules, the station clerk (muharrar) is responsible for all government property, including arms, ammunition, bicycles, articles of clothing and other equipment which is stored in the warehouse.

However, it has emerged that at the 30 stations in the district, the muharrars have passed this duty onto the assistant station clerks. This is particularly true during the night shifts.

Taking strict notice of the errant practice, the CPO has barred the deployment of assistant station clerks for looking after storerooms in the police stations.

The city police chief has strictly directed police stations and officials deployed there to perform their assigned duties as per the law. In this regard, he also issued a letter to all DPOs and SHOs in Rawalpindi.

He stated Younus stated that assistant station clerks performing duties as custodians of storerooms in all police stations in Rawalpindi was a violation of the Punjab police rules.

He pointed out that under the rules, this responsibility only rests with the clerks, who should be the only ones possessing keys to the storeroom.

The CPO strictly ordered to abolish the errant practice in all police stations of the garrison city and return the charge to the clerks.

The CPO directed the SHOs to ensure implementation of the orders and submit a certificate, attested by circle officers, regarding the transfer of charges to the CPO office.

When The Express Tribune contacted SHOs at different police stations in the city, they confirmed that the CPO has directed them to run affairs of the police station in compliance with the police rules. They added that the responsibility of the storeroom keeper has been returned to the muharrars and the paperwork for this purpose is underway.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2020.