FAISALABAD – The newly-appointed Punjab Police IGP, Javed Iqbal, soon after taking the charge, has taken revolutionary decisions regarding the police reforms process that included a weekly off day and a fixed minimum tenure for station house officers (SHOs) at a particular police station.
He, in his letter circulated to regional police officers (RPOs) and district police officers (DPOs), has directed them to draw out a weekly roaster for one day off-duty of each staff member from constable to the rank of inspector.
The decision has been taken to boost professional efficiency and promote high moral values and social ethics in the police force, enabling them to enjoy weekly off days with their families.
Secondly, to ensure continuity, the IGP has directed the RPOs to appoint SHOs and other officers on vital duties at least for one year. He has also recommended that the officers facing charges like misconduct, corruption and incompetence will be sent to the police lines until a departmental inquiry is completed against them. He has stressed the need to transform the force into guardians, protectors and friends of the public and has specified the top priorities of the police such as responding to every call for help in a professional way, eradication of crimes and maintenance of law and order through public cooperation.
He has also issues orders to the RPOs to stop the inhuman treatment with detainees and protect the rights of women and children of the absconders. The new initiatives taken by the IGP are a welcome move that will obviously go a long way in reforming the police system, ultimately improving the overall police performance.
The weekly off day and security of staying at the assignment will definitely bring positive change in the professional efficiency and morale of the organisation.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, after coming into the power, doubled the salaries of the Punjab police and hoped that the decision would end corruption in the police force. But, after a lapse of two years, he had to admit that the pay raise had failed to check corruption.
The low level of discipline is the main cause of inefficiency and corruption in the police force as two weeks back, Faisalabad RPO Aftab Ahmed Cheema had ordered all the SHOs of the district to stay in their respective police stations in the morning hours to listen to the grievances of complainants. In this regard, SPs and SSPs were advised not to call the SHOs to their offices for inquiries because the practice was promoting a deep sense of dissatisfaction and anxiety among the visitors who had to waste a lot of time at the police stations waiting for SHOs. But the public was still finding it hard to see the SHOs at their seats due to their prolonged visits to the offices of their respective bosses.
