Over 84,500 complaints filed against police
More than 84,500 complaints have been lodged against the Punjab Police during the first seven months of this year, sources revealed on Tuesday.
According to official figures, the largest number of complaints ie around 39,000 concerned the alleged failure to register cases.
Of these, approximately 37,500 complaints have been resolved, according to the data.
Poor investigation was the second-largest category, with around 19,300 complaints filed during the period. Authorities reported resolving approximately 17,600 of these complaints.
The complaints regarding poor investigations included allegations of failure to recover stolen property, delays or failure in arresting suspects, flawed investigations, failure to arrest proclaimed offenders and requests for changes in investigating officers, among other issues.
The data also showed a significant number of complaints relating to alleged corruption and bribery within the police department.
Around 14,700 such complaints were registered, of which approximately 13,500 have reportedly been addressed.
Citizens also filed around 6,400 complaints concerning police services, while 470 complaints were lodged against police officers and employees themselves.
According to the figures, 94% of the total complaints received by the Punjab Inspector General of Police's Complaint Cell have been resolved, while six per cent remain pending.
Sources said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had directed the Punjab IG to personally monitor the performance of police officers and ensure timely redressal of citizens' complaints.
Police authorities, however, said complaints were being dealt with systematically.
Relevant officers were issued directions for redressal and the progress of cases was regularly monitored, they said.
Law experts say these figures raise questions about the quality of investigations, alleged misuse of authority, corruption and police services, despite directives from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to improve police performance.
Constitutional and legal expert Mian Dawood, Advocate, said the government and police had created the complaint redressal system merely to mislead the public.
He said that under the Police Order 2002 and the Police Rules, if a police official or officer was found guilty of misuse of authority, poor investigation or misconduct, a case should be registered against the official under Section 155-C of the Police Order and Section 166(2) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in cases of faulty investigation.
"Instead of following the procedure prescribed by law, the police stage a departmental inquiry and order minor disciplinary action to satisfy the public and the government. After some time, the departmental action is often overturned on appeal," he said.
Another legal expert, Malik Pervez Iqbal Umavi, said police appointments and recruitments were often made on political grounds. He claimed that junior officers had been posted at police stations and district police officer (DPO) offices.
He alleged that the police were violating the sanctity of private homes and had even entered the residences of judges and the Attorney General.
"The police have been given a free hand, which has contributed to an increase in complaints against the department," he said.