Action sought against sale of drugs around campuses

IG assures Hyderabad residents of improving policing

HYDRABAD:

The Inspector General of Sindh Police Ghulam Nabi Memon said on Tuesday that Station House Officers (SHOs) of police stations will act as the investigation officers (IOs) in murder, drugs and mainpuri and gutka cases.

"For the sake of our young generations we will have to control the menace of narcotics, gutka and mainpuri," he emphasized at a meeting with the police officers in Hyderabad.

He also addressed a reception hosted by Sindh Chamber of Small Trade and Small Industry (HCSTSI) at a banquet in Latifabad and spoke to the media at Hyderabad Press Club.

Memon asked the police officers of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad police ranges, which consist of 15 districts, to come up with effective joint strategies and implementation mechanisms against the menace of drugs.

The business community in their separate meetings with Memon raised the issue of sale of drugs around schools, colleges and universities. Substance abuse in schoolchildren endangers the new generation, Hyderabad civic circles told the top cop of Sindh demanding action against sale of narcotics around educational institutions.

IG Memon said around 2,000 assistant sub inspectors will be given special training in the investigation techniques to improve police performance.

The IGP also announced that soon Rapid Response Force (RRF) and Crowd Management Unit (CMU) will be launched in Hyderabad, consisting 500 personnel each. The Counter Terrorism Department's in Hyderabad will also get an upgrade while a CTD will also be built. The department, which hitherto reports to the IGP's office, will be made to liaise with the DIG Hyderabad as well.

Tacitly referring to the red tape in implementation of the safe city projects, the IGP urged the citizens to install their private CCTV cameras. According to him, people in Karachi have put in place 43,000 CCTV cameras.

Even the home of police chief is not safe from thieves. "I installed CCTV cameras at my home after a theft," IG Memon said, asking the people not to repeat the mistake which he had done.

He apprised that the police will also install CCTV cameras at all of the 40 toll plazas on the highways and motorway in Sindh to help trace the criminals.

The IGP believed that even the traffic management can be better performed with the CCTV cameras. "If you ask me, I would like to withdraw even the rest of the 300 traffic policemen from Hyderabad and replace them with technology," he said, replying to HCSTSI's President Farooq Shaikhani's demand for repatriating to Hyderabad about 300 policemen posted in Karachi for many years. The city has a sanctioned traffic police strength of 600 personnel but half of them are serving in Karachi.

On the recommendation Hyderabad Press Club President Lala Rehman Samo, the IG said he will soon notify five-member committees to conduct inquiry of complaints lodged against journalists at the police stations.

Earlier at the reception, the HCSTSI's President Shaikhani complained that Hyderabad's population has increased from 1.2 million to 2.7 million over the last three decades but the sanctioned police strength remains stagnant. "If the strength isn't increased even the best of the police officers will find maintaining law and order very difficult." According to him 70% of the 300 traffic policemen in Hyderabad are old aged and arguably not fit for duty.

Shaikhan suggested that the white colour of the traffic police uniform should be changed to some dark colour. Shaikhani said Hyderabad needs new police stations due bulging population thanks to migrant workers from Sindh and other provinces too. the inter-provincial and intra-provincial migration.

"There is only one functioning traffic signal in Hyderabad while there is complete mayhem at all the other intersections in the city." He pointed out the difference between the Police Facilitation Center (PFC) and the police stations, saying the people feel nervous when they have to go to stations because of rigid and insulting behaviour of the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2022.