Community policing: Report crime at DHA’s resident-friendly police stations

Group of residents start initiative to act as bridge between policemen and residents

KARACHI:

The next time your mobile phone is stolen, do not hesitate to approach the police and report the crime. You are likely to find your neighbours and fellow citizens at the station, helping the police make the station a more positive space.

A group of residents of DHA and Clifton have started the Community Security Initiative (CSI) to work together with the local police in controlling crime.  Last week, the residents met the key officials posted in DHA and Clifton and showed them a PowerPoint presentation on how this system will work.

By the time the hour-long meeting at Darakshan police station came to an end, the DHA residents had won the police’s approval to start their community policing project.

“The purpose of this initiative is to bridge the trust deficiency and kill the hesitancy people feel when it comes to reporting crimes,” said the chief patron of the initiative, Syed Raied Arshad, an entrepreneur. “It will encourage the people of these areas to register their complaints.”

Instead of complaining to each other about the numerous crime stories each of us face, the initiative wants to encourage people to report crime and get the police in the loop. The initiative is scheduled to be launched officially by the end of this month but volunteers have already started doing their hours to get into practice.

DIG South Jamil Ahmed seemed excited. Well-trained policemen from Razzakabad will be posted at the police stations to increase the workforce, he promised. “I am not satisfied as street crimes are still prevalent but serious crimes have gone down,” he said, adding that this seemed to be a good initiative.



The plan

The residents who volunteer for this programme will work with the police at five stations: Defence, Gizri, Darakhshan, Clifton and Boat Basin.

In the first phase, the residents will start from the Gizri police station, where two volunteers will be available for two hours every week. This schedule will eventually be applied to the other police stations as well. The volunteers will be sitting in a separate room so as not to disturb the work of the police but will be informed when a resident walks in with a complaint.

“Ordinary citizens coming to the stations are intimidated by the police,” explained resident Arshad. “Our volunteers will guide them and facilitate them.”

Later on, the residents aim to engage police with the community, and have plans for students and young people to intern with the police officers.

Renovating police stations

The residents have also proposed the renovation of police stations and providing them with much-needed resources and facilities. The residents will be pooling in money and buying motorcycles for the policemen, said a DHA resident, Shah Hayat.

Television screens and tracking equipment will be installed at all these police stations. Crime will be mapped and a database will be maintained. Volunteers will also renovate the police station building. They will clean it and then paint it to give it a fresh look.

For the police

These residents are also keen on providing incentives to the police officers and health covers. They have made agreements with Indus Hospital and others to provide treatment to policemen. They have also requested the government to refrain from transferring SHOs too frequently.

Vulnerable areas

The initiative is also trying to encourage the police to form sub-check posts at the main entry and exit points of the slum areas in the neighbourhood, such as Neelum Colony, Hijrat Colony, Ittehad and Punjab Chowrangi. They believe that a lot of petty thieves working in DHA are coming from these areas.

The policemen manning these checkpoints will be especially alert in the evening when crime is rampant, especially in the DHA commercial areas.

The Table Shows The Number Of Sanctioned Policemen In Contrast With The Ones Actually Posted At The Gizri Police Station. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2015.