No proper maintenance of criminal’s record, negligence in the inspection of police stations and outdated weaponry are the main causes of increase in crime as well as poor performance of the security personnel in Karachi, Pakistan Today has learnt from reliable sources.
Police personnel, fighting against terrorism in the city, have no option but to use outdated weapons which could prove a death trap for them any time.
Police stations in the largest city of the country have not been properly inspected since the last 10 years as authorities have not shown any interest in conducting inspection according to the rules.
Inspection of police stations normally includes checking the maintenance of record, sanitary conditions of police stations, and a detailed inspection of arms and ammunition.
It is also a main reason of an increase in crime in the city as there is no practice to maintain the data of criminals in police stations regularly. According to the rules, police stations have to maintain at least 25 registers on daily basis.
“Almost 30 percent of weapons of Karachi police are outdated and cannot be used in any emergency,” said a high official in the police department and added that “the outdated arms could prove dangerous for the users”.
“We have written thrice to the higher authorities for proper inspection of police stations, especially of the weapons, as well as for the replacement of the weapons but have not received any response yet.”
Sources told Pakistan Today that the inspection of police stations in Karachi was conducted only in the papers for the satisfaction of superiors. The inspections are meant to allow senior officers to take stock of the situation at police stations, and to check on the state of their stores, particularly those for arms and ammunition.
The inspections of police stations are necessary but the police department has not shown any interest since the separation of the operations and investigations wings of the police in 2002. The Police Rules 1934 state that inspection of police stations must take place at least twice a year. But things took a turn for the worse after the two wings of police – operations and investigation – were separated. Now both the wings try to put the responsibility for inspections on one another.
“Every police station and post in a district shall be thoroughly inspected by a gazetted officer twice a year; at least one inspection shall be carried out by the superintendent. At such inspections of police stations a return for each quarter’s working since the last inspection shall be made out and submitted with an inspection report to the deputy inspector-general, attached to the weekly diary of the superintendent,” the Police Rules 1934 say. The rules further say that the inspections should at least focus on two points: the inspecting officer should reach definite conclusions regarding the state of crime (either ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’) and the chief causes of crime. The officer in charge of the police station should receive active assistance and suggestions from the inspecting officer in order to improve the state of crime in his area, the rules state.
“Informal inspections of police stations and posts shall be made as frequently as the superintendent may consider necessary and desirable, having regard to the circumstances of each particular police station and post,” the rules say.
