LAHORE: The Special Branch of the Punjab Police lacks the expertise and the resources required to gather timely information and analyse it effectively to counter the terrorist activities, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Most of the officials posted in the branch lack training in intelligence-related tasks, a senior police official posted in the branch said seeking anonymity.
The Special Branch has 5,225 employees including 464 officers ranging from police inspectors in BS-16 to an additional inspector general in BS-21, who heads the agency. The government has allocated Rs1.716 billion in the fiscal year 2010-11 budget to meet its operating expenses.
The Special Branch is mandated to perform intelligence as well as security related tasks.
They include: gathering intelligence on suspected terrorist networks, looking after the security of the VVIPs, keeping the government informed on possible threats, monitoring political and social events and keeping the government informed on public opinions on various issues.
The official said that there was no training for the Special Branch personnel. He said that there was no intelligence related syllabus and no training modules to facilitate the officials.
“There is a general perception among the officials that they are posted here to sideline them and keep them away from important tasks,” the official added.
He said that there was a need to revamp the organisation to make it effective. It must be able to gather timely information using modern techniques to foil terrorist attacks.
“Motivated staff should be posted here after it has gone through comprehensive training,” he added.
Another official said that the Police Department had considerable manpower and resources. All it required is an effective policy and leadership. “If they effectively utilise the available resources they can prevent the terrorist strikes and spare themselves the effort that now goes into the blame-game following the attacks,” he said.
The Special Branch is not authorised to make arrests but by providing timely information it can help boost the efficiency of the Police Department, he added.
He maintained that a majority of the Special Branch officials remain busy in security duties with the VVIPs.
As a result, a relatively small number is left to perform the critical task of gathering intelligence and monitoring the movement of suspected criminals and terrorists.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2010.
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