Police to centralise organised crime cell

DIG to focus on investigating heinous incidents

LAHORE:

Punjab Police has decided to establish an anti-organised crime cell at its central office, which will focus on detecting and investigating heinous crimes as well as apprehending hardened criminals.

Earlier, each district had such a cell, popularly known as CIA.

Inspector General of Police Aamir Zulfiqar Khan announced that a summary would be submitted to the government to create a post of deputy IG in grade 20 to centralise and coordinate the action against organised crime and hardened criminals across the province.

The decision was made in a conference of regional police officers.

To improve the investigation and follow-up of cases of heinous crimes in the province, the branch of organised crime should be established and a DIG appointed in the additional IG investigation's office for the purpose, Khan said. A summary in this regard should also be sent to the government soon, he added.

He said the new DIG would not only collect crime data through effective follow-up but also prepare weekly reports about the progress of investigation in cases in all districts.

He added that the organised crime branch would ensure close follow-up of the registered cases across the province and focus on arresting dangerous criminals through effective investigation, timely completion of challan and strict punishment to habitual and professional criminals.

Khan said the organised crime DIG would maintain close coordination with the regional monitoring units of the investigation wing.

After registration of a case, he will monitor all the stages of the investigation and bring the proceedings to their logical conclusion as soon as possible with effective follow-up.

Inspector General of Police Aamir Zulfiqar Khan said the main objective of establishing the separate branch was to improve the quality of investigation with effective follow-up and all possible measures in this regard would continue along with the provision of more resources.

He said that initially the monitoring AIG should submit a fortnightly report on cases of organised crime, including murder, robbery, dacoity and rape.

Khan on the occasion that the police should continue fulfilling their role across the province to prevent crimes and bring habitual criminals involved in cases of robbery, dacoity murder and rape behind the bars.

He also said data on the rate of conviction and acquittal in the cases of robbery and theft should be collected across the province to ascertain the average rate of bail in the cases in all the districts of Punjab. The report should be prepared in 10 days, he added.

Inspector General of Police Aamir Zulfiqar Khan directed that the district police officers in consultation with their RPOs should appoint competent and hardworking inspectors where the posts of organised crime DSP were vacant.

Khan also said that in each district, if cases of robbery, murder, dacoity and rape could not be investigated at the police station level, their investigation should be assigned to the in-charge of organised crime.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2023.