Annual review: Step up policing in Bahawalpur, says RPO

BAHAWALPUR:

Crime rate declined in Bahawalpur over the year but there are still a lot of problems pertaining to law and order which need to be addressed as soon as possible, said Regional Police Officer (RPO) Ehsan Sadiq on Friday.

He was chairing a meeting to review the yearly performance of police in Bahawalpur.

Bahawalpur DPO Sarfraz Ahmad Falki, Bahawalnagar DPO Muntazir Mehdi and Rahim Yar Khan DPO Sohail Zafar Chattha were also present.

The RPO said security of sensitive installations, including railway tracks, bus stands, schools, imam bargahs and churches should be beefed up.

He said patrolling around Ramazan Bazaars and mosques during taraweeh should be intensified. The RPO said the DPOs should pay special attention to security of foreigners, especially Chinese engineers, working and residing in the region.

He said efforts should be made to expedite registration of FIRs. He said incomplete challans should not be tolerated. The RPO said police should make arrest of proclaimed offenders a priority.

He said the DPOs should revamp the system for issuing driving licences. He said traffic regulation should be upgraded.

The DPO said Rescue 1122 and Police Helpline 15 needed to step up their response times.

Security for Ramazan in Bahawalpur. The district police on Friday issued the security plan for Ramazan.

A spokesman said 1,100 police officials and 700 volunteers would be deployed for security of taraweeh and Friday prayer congregations. He said 455 locations had been identified in this regard,

He said police had set up pickets at Sutlej Bridge, Airport Road, Shashmahi Canal, Hasilpur Road and Ahmadpur East Road to check traffic entering the city.

He said CCTV cameras had been installed at sensitive locations and walkthrough gates and metal detectors would be used at mosques which under Category A (extremely sensitive).

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2015.