Pindi police probe system falls apart

‘Undue’ focus on political cases hampers pace of investigations into serious offences, crimes

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi police’s investigation system has come under fierce criticism for its inability to present challan in serious cases before the courts, creating a concerning situation.

Sources privy to the situation claim the police in the Rawalpindi district have been primarily focusing on handling political cases, neglecting the prosecution process for criminal offenses. This has led to a significant decline in the efforts to bring criminals involved in serious cases to justice. Ultimately, the investigation system across the district's 34 police stations is becoming redundant, sources alleged.

During the third quarter of 2023 - from July 1 to September 1 - the 34 police stations in the Rawalpindi district recorded a total of 11,321 cases. However, it is concerning to note that only 557 Challans were presented by police investigation teams, reflecting an unsatisfactory performance.

Also read: Four months on, police fail to submit challans in May 9 cases

During this period, the police struggled to present challan for 10,784 cases, leaving the courts without the necessary documents to proceed. It's noteworthy that no action was taken against the investigation officers by the investigations senior superintendent of police (SSP) in response to their underwhelming performance.

In four cases of murder, kidnapping, rape, and terrorism, the police failed to present challan, allowing the accused to secure bail.

Specifically, the police registered 81 murder cases, six cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 33 cases of forced rape, and three kidnapping cases. In addition, the police recorded 163 cases of attempted murder but only managed to present challan for six of them. Furthermore, out of 207 traffic accident cases, challan was presented for only seven, which raises serious concerns about the justice system's efficiency.

According to available data, the police's performance is equally dismal in other categories of cases, sources added. Out of 1,071 robbery cases, only 65 challans were presented, while 104 challans were produced out of 4,070 theft cases.

The police also presented challan for just 16 out of 131 fraud cases and 248 out of 3,222 cases related to different crimes.

For the 349 Hudood cases, only eleven challans were presented. Additionally, there were 505 cases involving weapons and ammunition, but only 43 challans were completed. Moreover, only eight challans were presented out of 827 drug-related cases.

Read: Probe goes downhill in Pindi police stations

The shortcomings in the prosecution process have not gone unnoticed, as both sessions and civil courts have expressed their frustration with the police's inability to present necessary documents for these cases. In the first half of 2023 the police registered 26,179 cases but presented challan for only 5,075 cases, a significant gap of 31,122 cases.

The investigation officers argue that their focus on political cases has undermined the prosecution process for serious cases. They also point out the lack of proper facilities and resources for investigations, including a shortage of stationery supplies and the burden of covering expenses for forensic tests, DNA analysis, and other investigative needs, which are often passed onto the accused.

Sibtain Bukhari, an advocate, recommended reducing the number of witnesses to ten and limiting each department to one witness to expedite the legal process.

In response to these allegations, a police spokesperson defended the department, asserting that there is no systemic delay in investigations.

He argued that the nature of each case could affect the timelines of an investigation and emphasised that the investigation process has been modernised.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2023.