Reservations and apprehensions: Cops unenthusiastic about Dolphin Squad

Officials bemoan lack of incentives.

LAHORE: Senior police officials have responded unenthusiastically to joining the proposed Dolphin Squad due to lack of monetary incentives and limited prospects for professional growth, The Express Tribune has learnt.

A senior police official said he was not keen on joining the squad due to lack of monetary benefits and prospects for professional growth. “I will not get promoted in the department after joining the squad,’ he said. The official said a two-month training period in Turkey might seem like a God-send opportunity to junior police officials but held little attraction for their seniors.  He said he would rather stay in Pakistan and pursue the mid-career management course instead of joining the force as this would increase his chances of being promoted.

The official said he was not keen on joining the squad due to the time-barred nature of postings there. He told The Express Tribune that an official could only serve there for one-year. The official said it was possible to obtain a two-year extension in this regard.



He said he would prefer to effectively discharge duties in his native province rather than devote energy to creating and working at a new squad without any incentive. “Developing a new squad is not child’s play. You cannot expect one to develop standard operating procedures and proposals, secure approval from concerned departments and burn the midnight oil without providing them with any incentive,” he said.

Another official told The Express Tribune that even some junior officials had responded unenthusiastically to joining the squad and proceeding to Turkey for training. He said they had been ordered to undergo training there in no uncertain terms.  The official said the department had been compelled to relax the selection criteria for the squad as several inspectors were not willing to join. He said the age-limit had been revised from 40 years to 50. The official said a notification had been made in this regard on December 29. The official said the inspectors had been forced to proceed for training following the amendment in the criteria. He said the squad had been conceived to enshrine preventive policing, curbing crime through street patrolling and maintaining order. The official said it had little chance of succeeding. He said this could prove futile as suspects would manage to secure bail from court even if the squad managed to nab them.  The official said it was imperative to involve citizens in crime control initiatives and revamp the investigation and operations of the force to check street-crime. He said blindly aping Turkey was definitely not a solution to the problem.  The official said it was necessary to revamp the judicial system to ensure that criminals do not go scot-free.

CCPO Amin Wains, who is overseeing affairs related to the squad, told The Express Tribune that he would strive to allay the genuine apprehensions of police officials regarding the Dolphin Squad once they were officially placed before him.  He said the selected officials would be posted to the squad on rotation. CCPO Wains said officials were expected to effectively discharge duties irrespective of the department they had been assigned to serve and the squad was no exception in this regard. He said those working in the squad would be provided with a suitable working environment to enable them to focus their energy on curbing crime.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2015.