The punjab police’s definition of improvement may need a little work
If approximately 200 robberies in the space of 11 days in Lahore is what the police calls an “improvement”, one shudders to think what their idea of deterioration would look like. Yes, one argues that inefficiency — and, often — sheer incompetence is a trait present in every field and that where that fails, corruption can always be counted on to ruin chances of developing an effective police force. But while we observe cases of blatant nepotism in all areas with resignation, the fact that this occurred in Punjab – home-ground of the PML-N, of all places — is truly shocking. Claims made by spokespersons about efforts being made to recover stolen possessions are all well and good, but the fact remains that the imminent and immediate revival of the police force is an as yet unfulfilled promise the chief minister. And while we can appreciate the amounts and number of recoveries stated in the last year as a whole, there are numbers adding up in just the past two weeks that the police is hard pressed to deny.
The first 11 days of 2017 have brought with them the robberies of fifty-five cars, one hundred and twenty five motorcycles and other motor vehicles in Lahore. These developments amount to approximately 5-7 cars and 10-12 motorcycles being nabbed on a daily basis — despite the reportedly, equally developed police force. Happy New Year, indeed.
And let’s not forget — the numbers quoted above are just from the reported cases. There may well be several cases which haven’t yet been brought to the attention of the police because the people simply lack the faith in their abilities. The CM’s pride and joy, the Dolphin Force, has not been spared in this criticism either, with quite a few reports of observed bribery having circulated last year.
Historically, the closer we get to election season, the more Pakistani governments have attempted to prove their worth and necessity to the people. With the increasing crime rate being seemingly ignored, one wonders when the government plans on stepping in and ensuring accountability and responsibility in a police force that desperately needs training and education. The government denied the necessity of a Punjab Operation akin to its Sindhi counterpart when the notion was first suggested by political opposition, claiming that Punjab’s security forces had the province well under control. With its attention split between the Supreme Court, facing the Parliament, the confusion over the Saudi led grand alliance, CPEC and several other matters however, perhaps the PML-N has too much on its plate to worry about security on the home ground, no matter how close to the general elections — and facing the judgement of their irritated voter bank — they may be getting.
