Daily Times

LAHORE: All field officers should come forward to eliminate crime in their respective districts as their performance is being linked with the arrest of proclaimed offenders, court absconders and the recovery of illegal Kalashnikovs, besides action against unregistered and unauthorised motorcycles.

This is the only way-forward for the police officers to discharge their duties for maintaining law and order, provision of timely justice to the people across Punjab.

This was stated by Inspector General of Police Punjab Amjad Javed Saleemi, while addressing the Regional Police Officers Conference held at Central Police Office on Thursday.

All RPOs and District Police Officers attended the meeting through video link and other senior officers were also present in the conference.

In case of any law and order situation, the anti-riot force will be authorised to operate as per given standard operating procedures by using the concerned equipments as per evolved strategy in future, decided the conference. The anti-riot force will also be responsible to maintain law and order with the backup support of district police. The conference also decided that all subversive and anti-state elements will be dealt strictly if they tried to take law in their hands.

While discussing the distribution of the existing four water cannons with the department, it was decided that two will be given to Lahore, one in Gujranwala and one in Rawalpindi, besides, the purchase of two new water canon issue will be taken up at government level.

It was also decided that in all Police Lines of the department, water filter plants will be installed and dispensaries will be established with the cooperation of Punjab Governor Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar. The conference also decided to establish resource management and display centres at district level and inventory of all equipments and gadgets will be computerised to observe the transparency.

For amicable settlement of petty issues and to save the valuable time of honourable courts and police stations, important decisions regarding the criterion eligibility of DDRCs members selection procedure structure, roles and responsibilities, code of ethics, legal frame work was also defined in the conference. These proposed DDRCs will operate independently and starts working within next 15 days, decided the conference. The members of these committees must be resident of the concerned district and should be apolitical, impartial, having good repute comprising of any retired judge, professors, religious scholars, lawyers, retired government servants and senior journalists could be the member of these committees.

Published in Daily Times, November 16^th 2018.