Security review: Over 1,800 tenants booked for not sharing data with police

FIRs registered against 525 educational institutes’ heads for inadequate security

PESHAWAR: Several laws passed by the provincial government in the past few months to counter terrorism and anti-social elements are being effectively implemented by the provincial police.

In the first three months of the ongoing year, the police have registered 1,812 FIRs against tenants who failed to share their complete information with their local police stations, a police official told The Express Tribune.

Under the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Restriction of Rented Buildings Act 2014, landlords should only rent their properties after proper background verification and provision of sureties by the tenant. Moreover, the law further requires the landlord and tenants to submit their details with the relevant police stations.

The act has proved helpful in curbing the practice of renting out buildings and houses to strangers without proper verification. According to the police official, under the act, 82,449 houses have been registered with the police in Peshawar Division alone, while 23,677 houses have been registered in Hazara, 16,638 in Mardan, 6,127 in Kohat, 9,028 in DI Khan, 5,682 in Bannu and 8,110 in Malakand divisions.

Similarly, 441 hotel managers have been booked for not sharing with the police details of people who stayed in their establishments. The Restriction of Hotel Businesses Act passed by the government last year requires all hotels, inns, motels and rest houses to get registered with their local police station and to provide their guest lists to the police on a daily basis.

Moreover, 525 FIRs have been registered against the heads of educational institutes, under the Security of Sensitive and Vulnerable Establishments Act 2015, for failing to ensure adequate security at their buildings.

The police regularly inspect security measures at educational institutes and other public buildings and if they are found lacking, written warnings are issued to the administration.

If the administration fails to comply with the warning, an FIR is registered against the head of the institute and they are arrested.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2015.