FAISALABAD – An old problem with the rules and regulations is that they are always framed in good faith but it is their out-of-context implementation that reverses the very logic behind them, producing chaotic results.
The much-publicised weekly holiday for Punjab police announced by Inspector General Punjab Police Javed Iqbal, soon after taking the charge of his office, turned out to be a useless exercise as a majority of police personnel think they are better off without availing themselves of the luxury of a holiday of this sort.
The joys and jubilations of a holiday disappeared when the leave schedule was issued by Faisalabad police this week. As per the schedule, the leave will start at 12.00 midnight for 24 hours and the officer or constable taking the leave is required to resume his duty next night at 12.00 (midnight). It means the officer on a weekly leave will not be able to sleep for two nights before and after his ‘weekend’.
Moreover, the holidaying staff will not be able to get a public transport from his place of work to his house at midnight. In case of using his own transport, he will be surely at the mercy of the dacoits who are ruling the roost at night. The schedule has killed the spirit and initiative behind the idea of relaxation or comfort to boost up the police performance.
A majority of the police personnel want to change the illogical and unnatural schedule and wish that it must be revised to start from 8am until the next morning. The IGP took this revolutionary decision towards the police reforms process that included a weekly off day and a fixed minimum tenure for SHOs at a particular police station. In a rare move, the police chief approved a weekly off-day for the police force. The IG, in his letter circulated to regional police officers (RPOs) and district police officers (DPOs), had directed them to draw out a weekly roaster for a one-day holiday of each staff member from constable to the rank of inspector. The decision was taken to boost professional efficiency and promote high moral values and social ethics in the police force.
The IGP had given a chance to the police force to enjoy the weekly off with their families. But it is unfortunate that after the announcement of the leave schedule most of the police personnel want abolition of this weekly leave and introduction of fortnightly off days. The second initiative of the Punjab police chief was to ensure a continuity of tenure for SHOs and other officers on vital duties at least for a period of one year.
As per the current practice, the SHOs and investigation officers have no specified period at a certain posting and they are frequently being moved elsewhere. Misconduct, corruption and incompetence are the major cause of transfers. In the new directive, it was recommended that the officers facing these charges would be sent to the police lines instead of transfer until a departmental inquiry is completed against him. It has been assumed in the directive that no individual can show his worth in a short period.
Therefore, the officers must be provided with enough time to deliver. It will take some time to ascertain the efficacy of this rule. So let us hope that the rule will not be implemented like the ‘weekly off’ episode. In this regard, the political influence, being a strong factor in the majority of transfers and postings should also be taken into account.
In another memorandum, the police chief had stressed the need to transform the force into guardians, protectors and friends of the public, to respond to every call for help in a professional way and eradicate crimes and maintenance of law and order through public cooperation. It is a wishful thinking that the new initiatives taken by the IGP are a welcome move that will obviously go a long way in reforming the system, ultimately, improving the overall police performance.
But the poor quality of policing cannot be justified on the ground that the force is overworked without getting their weekly holidays.
