Meet the press: ‘Crime rate in most areas has decreased’

IG said 100 model police stations being built in the province, which would be free of what passed as ‘thana culture’.

BAHAWALPUR:

“The Punjab Police is trying its best to eradicate terrorism from the province,” Inspector General Habibur Rehman said on Wednesday during his visit to Bahawalpur.

Addressing a press conference, the IG said combating terrorism should be the force’s top priority. Regional police officers and district police officers were also present.

The IG lauded police’s efforts to bring down the crime rate in several districts of the province, including Gujranwala, Bahawalpur and Sargodha. He said cases of kidnapping had been almost eradicated from Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalnagar.

He said the ‘black sheep’ in the department, will be removed.

He said 100 model police stations were being built in the province, which would be free of what passed as ‘thana culture’. He said police officials were being regularly trained for effective performance. He said the strength of the police force in the Punjab had been increased by 1,000 over the last year. He said people could now access him as he had had all security barriers removed from outside his office in Lahore. He said there had been 100 encounters between the police and criminals in the last five months in which 20 police personnel lost their lives. He said there were no fake encounters.

The IG also distributed cash prizes among officials recommended by their superiors on account of their performance.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19^th, 2012.