Policing in question as new crime control unit emerges

All over the world, the primary purpose of the police is to curtail deviance in society and maintain law and order. Therefore, when the government has to form a separate wing for crime control, it is a clear reflection of the fact that the motivation of law enforcement has shifted away from guarding public safety.

The Punjab government has established a Crime Control Department (CCD) within the police force to control the rising incidence of crime in the province and investigate its underlying causes. This department will operate under the supervision of the Inspector General (IG) and with its creation, the total number of sub-wings in the police department will reach thirteen.

According to documents obtained by The Express Tribune, the following 12 wings are currently operating within the Punjab Police: Counter Terrorism Department, Investigation, Special Branch, Punjab Highway Patrol, Special Protection Unit, Operations, Traffic, Vigilance & Inspection, CIA, Accountability, Finance, and Telecommunications & Transport. The Crime Control Department (CCD) is the thirteenth addition.

Records show that the CCD will be staffed with one Additional IG, three DIGs, ten SSPs, thirteen SPs, and forty-five DSPs, with a total recruitment of 5,000 officers and staff. An initial budget of more than Rs6 billion has been allocated for the new department, which includes funds for the purchase of luxury vehicles for officers.

According to available information, one SP has been appointed per division and one DSP and one crime control police station per district. A police spokesperson stated that the CCD will work to prevent eighteen categories of serious crimes, with a total of 38 crime control police stations including three in the provincial capital, Lahore, and one in each of the remaining districts.

Although the rising crime rate has been cited as the primary reason behind the creation of the Crime Control Department, critics are skeptical about the feasibility of the government’s decision.

“Instead of forming a new department, there was a greater need to reform the existing police station culture in order to reduce the rate of crime. The government should have improved the condition of police stations rather than wasting billions on a new crime control department. Crime prevention is the core duty of the police, and it requires effective policing rather than the creation of a new department just to giving high-ranking positions,” criticized former IG of Balochistan and the Railway Police, Asif Nawaz Warraich.

Over the past five years, the Punjab government has spent over three billion rupees on 760 police stations under the Special Initiative Police Stations (SIPS) program. However, despite these investments, the overall crime rate has increased by 37 per cent from 2016 to 2025 while the crime rate for murder, robbery, street crime, motorcycle and car snatching, kidnapping for ransom, gang rape, and sexual assault has surged by up to 63 percent. In 2023, close to one million FIRs were registered, while in 2024, over 570,000 incidents were reported, which is 17 per cent more than the previous year. So far, in 2025, more than 237,000 criminal cases have already been reported, showing a 16 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, claimed that the government's focus was solely on suppressing political opponents hence billions had to be allocated to form the Crime Control Department within the police. “Previously, a Grade 19 officer was made DG Anti-Corruption to harass political opponents. Now, the same officer has been promoted to Grade 20 and posted as Additional IG of the Crime Control Department, at a Grade 21 post. The police already have vast powers, which allow them to enter homes without warrants. The condition of police stations is miserable, and the common man receives no relief. Police stations still operate with the help of informers and middlemen. This department has been created only to favor selected officers, who will be given luxury vehicles. The purpose of the decision is not to control crime but to curtail political opponents,” said Bhachar, who further revealed that since its formation, the Crime Control Department has had over 50 police encounters, with the majority targeting political rivals.