Reorganisation: Rs1 billion released for Special Branch

Funds to be spent on recruitment, equipment

LAHORE: The government has issued Rs1 billion to the Punjab Police for revamping their intelligence wing – the Special Branch. The funds were released on the Home Department’s recommendation.

In April, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had ordered reorganisation of the Special Branch.

The funds will be spent on recruitment of intelligence and technical cadre officials and for buying vehicles and modern equipment.

Rs700 million will be spent on recruiting 2,413 officials in grade 5 to 19.

Of the 2,413, 1,618 officials will be recruited for the intelligence cadre in grades 7 to 19 and 795 officials for the technical cadre in grades 7 to 17.

Officials to be recruited in the intelligence cadre include a director (grade 19), 15 deputy directors (grade 18), 30 assistant directors (grade 17), 200 senior intelligence officers, 1,000 intelligence operators, 48 assistant supervisors, 60 senior operators and 264 operators for explosive detection cell.

Vacancies in the technical cadre include an assistant director (grade 17), 27 supervisors, 71 assistant supervisors, 198 senior operators, 123 network administrators, 140 programmers, 14 hardware technicians, nine network supervisors, 99 data entry operators, three canine supervisors, five assistant canine supervisors, 17 senior canine handlers, 110 canine handlers, two technical officers (maintenance) and three technical officers (software).

Rs10 million has been reserved for awards to informers, Rs10.4 million for buying IT equipment, Rs170.4 million for buying surveillance equipment, Rs10.7 million for buying vehicles and Rs90 million for miscellaneous expenditures.

It is learnt that the chief minister has directed the authorities to revamp the Special Branch by June 30.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2015.