Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Following the sheer failure of the Community Police Centres (CPCs) project the rooms of the offices of these centres have been occupied by homeless persons for residential purposes.

A few years ago, the former IG Islamabad, Wajid Durrani, set up CPCs in all the streets, mohallas and sectors in Islamabad for reining in crimes and forging rapport between the police and the citizens.

The ASI or sub inspector of the respective police station was made in charge of the CPC and they were assigned the responsibility of remaining in contact with the residents of their respective CPCs and addressing the ordinary and small natured cases. But Wajid Durrani was transferred before the idea of establishment of the CPCs started yielding better results. Therefore, the CPCs project fizzled out. Special rooms were built in cooperation with the citizens for the CPC at the cost of millions of rupees. However this project met with sheer failure with the change of command.

One can find the words of the Police Community Centre written on the walls but the milieu has been entirely changed. The rooms have now turned into inns for homeless persons.

Sources said that employees from the directorates of streets, roads and environment of the CDA and their relatives are settled in these rooms and some rooms have been occupied by the police too. They do have not to pay any utility bill nor any rent and every room is being shared by four to six persons.

A responsible police officer on the condition of anonymity told Daily Times that the CPC was a good project. However it failed due to the change of command.