Illegal operations, torture tarnish image of KP police

PESHAWAR: The image of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police that had improved to a great extent in recent years is being tarnished by illegal operations and torture on people in custody by low-ranking officers.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed that the reforms in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police during its five-year rule in the province since 2013 were its major success.

The force was presented as the model police everywhere. Prime Minister Imran Khan praised the KP Police and former inspector general of police Nasir Khan Durrani in his first address to the nation.

However, some of the recent actions by the cops and the silence or a sort of support by the concerned bosses for illegal operations have badly damaged the image of the force. The silence of the officers has added insult to injury.

There are reports that sub-divisional police officers (SDPOs) and station house officers (SHOs) have been given a free hand by their seniors for unknown reasons to go after anyone they want and take any action they like.

While misusing their powers, these officers raid houses and arrest and insult the families of the accused, including women and children.

The cops implicate people in false cases to justify their actions when the victims approach the police high-ups with complaints. This also happens in the daily search and strike operations which aren’t very effective as innocent people are arrested and humiliated in such actions.

The people coming to police stations to seek help of the force are also bothered in one or the other way as there are complaints that most of the SHOs avoid registering the FIRs.

Interestingly, a number of police stations now maintain a register other than FIR and roznamcha only to dodge people as well as their bosses. The case of those insisting on lodging the FIR is written in the third register which has no record.

Some of the seniors within the force always defend these officers and their illegal actions, arguing they are doing something really needed for improved law and order.

Keeping silence on the illegal actions by certain cops result in situations like the one that happened on Sunday in which the SHO and his men carried out an illegal action outside his jurisdiction and allegedly tortured the detained person to the extent that he died in custody.

There are dozens of such cases happening all over the province almost daily but the officers concerned remained unaware until something big happens.

A station house officer (SHO) who was under severe criticism for long for his illegal actions and humiliation of families was removed on Monday only when a local died in his custody due to severe torture.

There are innumerable complaints against some SDPOs and SHOs but seniors encourage them by refusing to take action on any of the complaints of violation of basic human rights by these cops.

Despite a number of complaints of illegal actions in recent months and weeks, the police bosses at the provincial and district level continue to support their blue-eyed cops for unknown reasons even at the cost of the image of the force.

A spokesman for the Peshawar Police said Capital City Police Officer Qazi Jamilur Rehman has warned the SPs, SDPOs and SHOs not to take illegal action as none was above the law.

The cops were directed to facilitate the people as they were the servants of the public and warned that anyone involved in any wrongdoing will be dealt with strictly.

Such orders are also needed from the police bosses of all the regions as well as the districts to help improve the tarnished image of the force.