Police to spend millions on equipment

The Punjab Police has set aside millions of rupees for the purchase of personal protection equipment (PPE) to tackle Covid-19 pandemic, carry out awareness campaigns, ensure road safety, law and order and renovation of police stations for the financial year 2020-21.

The Multan Regional Police Office specified Rs950,000 for the renovation. Out of the total, the department has a plan to spend Rs200,000 on vehicle parts, Rs150,000 for lighting, Rs300,000 for furniture and Rs300,000 for equipment used for road safety.

Similarly, Khushab District Police allocated Rs4 million to purchase lubricants for vehicles, Rs2.2 million for stationery, Rs500,000 to purchase printing items, Rs0.2 million for advertisement, Rs0.1 million for exhibitions, Rs1 million for computer stationery items, Rs2.5 million for items like sanitary, iron barriers, razor wires, electrical items, cameras, iron racks, reflection board, cleanliness, and cookery, Rs0.1 million for sports items, Rs0.3 million to purchase tent and canvas, Rs0.72 million for refreshment items for visitors and cleanliness of Model Police Stations, Rs0.2 million for pamphlets, reflectors, barriers, barbed wires, Rs7 million for repair of vehicle batteries, tyres, tubes, spare parts and lubricants, Rs0.5 million for repairing furniture, Rs5 million for repair and renovation of offices, police station buildings and barracks and Rs10 million as food expenses.

District Police Okara, Narowal, Sahiwal and other districts have also allocated large amounts for renovation and office equipment, documents available with The Express Tribune revealed.

A senior police officer said the Punjab Police under a reforms project had established community-based ‘Model Police Stations’.

The police department had to rent equipment such as tents and barbed wires used mainly during law and order duties. It cost a huge sum to the department. Besides, there were a large number of complaints of embezzlement, default and altercations in this regard. In order to curtail these expenses and the fuss, the police command decided to gradually purchase the equipment for the department.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2020.