Daily Times

The slow investigation system of the police is the biggest reason why Pakistanis don’t get justice on time. The icing on the cake: due to the rude and sluggish arrogant behaviour of police junior officials, people are afraid to report their cases as they don’t want to get themselves indulge in a long series of visits to the police stations and courts, causing the crime rates to further increase. In addition, due to the high burden of court cases, our judges do not pressurise investigating officers to solve a case on an immediate basis. The superintendents do not perform their duties efficiently. As a result, the investigation process takes months and even years. For that reason, police reforms are the need of the hour, where the police should collect the evidence, do their investigation, and serve the accused in front of the courts right on time. Only then will citizens be able to trust the police and judicial system again and won’t be afraid to report their complaints.

The rising crime in Punjab needs reforms like those introduced by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police to enhance the conviction rate, as the existing system seems inadequate. According to the data, all divisions, including Lahore city, have reported a surge in heinous crimes including murder, kidnapping for ransom, gang rape, dacoity, robbery, etc. It showed that all the divisions of the Punjab police had reported more than 10,000 cases this year; showing a tremendous increase. Gang rapes and target killing cases also witnessed an increase.

Police experts, including Inspector General Punjab Police Dr Usman, believe that the ICT police’s attempt to introduce specialisation in the decades-old system would help enhance service delivery, as they were triangulation of three important statutes, including the Code of Criminal Procedure, Police Order 2002, and guidelines of the courts. Also, Dr Usman is putting a lot of effort into the operation and investigation wings of the Punjab police. The Islamabad police strengthened the system by establishing a new Criminal record Unit, Capital Investigation Branch, Investigation Technical Experts Units, Legal Experts Unit, Robbery, Dacoity Unity, Homicide Investigation Unit, and Special Sexual Offences Investigation Unit. Also, it has defined the role of the heads and other members through the standard operating procedure. It will help other provinces if they adopt the same model.

Additionally, the strongest action should be taken against all those police stations where citizens are not appropriately dealt with. Our judicial system must focus on hard work so the pending cases can be solved and justice is served on time.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Chief Justice Lahore High Court Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti should take strict notice of the slow investigation and judicial system.

For a peaceful, civilised, and developed society, citizens must be spared from crimes like looting, robbery, dacoity, attempted murder, extortion and kidnapping for ransom. Accused are kept away from such crimes by applying correctional measures. Globally, the police department is the first and foremost constituent of the system of criminal justice, which signifies the civil authority of government. It is the responsibility of the police to enforce the law in public. If the rules are enacted, the lives and property of people can be protected. Failing to do so would only lead to disorder and anarchy. So, I can conclude that the importance of the police is very high.  In some cases, even if the police officials do a great job, they are not much appreciated when compared to other forces. Instead, people take no time in calling the achievement fake.

The acquittal of the accused from courts due to insufficient evidence collected by investigating officers (IOs) has become a major cause in Pakistan. Notwithstanding most of the accused having confessions are acquitted by courts due to poor prosecution. This way, the acquittal of the accused is not only a problem for the complainant but also a question mark on Criminal Justice System. After committing a crime, the accused, who is acquitted, becomes a sign of terror.  One of the major reasons behind this failure is the lack of sufficient knowledge and professional training of our investigating officers. They are usually not aware of legal parameters, unable to read/analyse CDR and CCTV footage and have a non-serious attitude towards the preservation and submission of samples. Also, it has been seen that the four previous IGs of the Punjab police were unable to make any changes for the betterment of the department.

Thus, the system needs a change. Before the appointment, the investigation officer must be given professional training. He should also be informed about professional ethics and that his duty is to serve humanity and help victims get justice through fair investigation. Also, it has been seen that in some critical murder and robbery cases, police officials are threatened by the powerful, resulting in not-so-efficient investigations.

Thus, I request IG Punjab Dr Usman to provide all police officers with security and ensure that the department will have their back if they ever need to take tough decisions by investigating the corrupt and powerful. By saying this, I hope that the police system will become fair and people will no longer have to wait for months to get justice.