Daily Times

Even after two years, the Punjab police have failed to form a service structure for front desk employees owing to selfish concerns.

More than 90 employees are working on front desks established in 29 police stations of Rawalpindi. Front desk employees in police stations are responsible to maintain the record of daily crime diaries, complete record of the cases, hotels IB and to maintain 25 different kinds of police registers.

Computer-oriented male and female Senior Station Assistants and Police Station Assistants are performing their duties on these front desks from 9am to 12am. Due to lack of financial resources on front desk management, the administration is also being criticised for providing stationery and other technical facilities.

Sources said, four employees in Rawalpindi have left their jobs due to serious concerns about their future while another employee passed away in office.

A front desk employee wishing anonymity informed that he is serving on the front desk for the last two years, however, the department has failed to regularise our services. He maintained that in case his contract is abolished after a few years, then he would become ineligible to apply for a job at another government department as he will be over-age.

He made tall claims regarding the pay scale, service structure and other facilities were made by the higher ups during the appointment, but now despite the passage of more than two years, due to the unavailability of service structure we are still on contract basis.

Front desks were established on May 23, 2016, on which well-dressed and young officers treat the complainants. They report complaints through a centralised online system. The visitors are given a few services on-the-spot like registration and verification of private persons and official documents. The complainants are handed over electronic-receipts. The senior officers monitor the whole system from different systems and locations.

The high-tech complaint handling centres had been established to improve working atmosphere, maintain the official record and ensure timely registration of cases. This initiative now provides a pleasant environment to the complainants at police stations so that they can file complaints without any fear and hesitation.

“This is an Information Technology section of the police department and we are here to register all types of complaints ranging from robbery to auto-lifting,” said a young officer who is serving as PSA at a police station in Rawalpindi.

“We are bound to register each complaint and every incident of crime.”

Published in Daily Times, October 20^th 2018.