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Thursday March 28, 2024

Traffic police stations proposed to nab ‘killer drivers’

Karachi The Karachi traffic police chief has proposed setting up his department’s police stations so that violators could be taken to task, consequently reducing road accidents. DIG Traffic Amir Ahmed Shaikh told The News on Tuesday that these police stations would book violators, particularly those responsible for fatal accidents, and

By Salis bin Perwaiz
July 29, 2015
Karachi
The Karachi traffic police chief has proposed setting up his department’s police stations so that violators could be taken to task, consequently reducing road accidents.
DIG Traffic Amir Ahmed Shaikh told The News on Tuesday that these police stations would book violators, particularly those responsible for fatal accidents, and the department’s investigation unit would prosecute them.
The summary for the establishment of separate traffic police stations has been sent to IGP for approval. In the summary, it has been proposed that there should be at least one police station in a traffic district.
The DIG traffic said it had been observed that because of the prevailing law and order situation in the city and the piling up of criminal cases at police station, investigating officers were not paying proper attention to road accident cases.
Consequently, he added, the drivers involved in accidents were acquitted.
“This situation not only reflects poorly on police, but also encourages road killers,” he remarked.
Shaikh said many complaints had been received from traffic police that SHOs or other officers at police stations do not cooperate with them when they approach them for the registration of a case against a driver arrested under Section 279 of the Pakistan Penal Code or 99 of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965 that dealt with rash & negligent driving.
“This attitude is damaging the ongoing efforts of the traffic police to save lives and properties in road accidents,” he added.
Shaikh said as per the general public’s perception, the traffic police were only responsible for preventing road accidents by taking strict legal action against the errant drivers and to have the arrested drivers convicted through successful investigation and prosecution.
“This is why the media and other segments of the society criticise the performance of the traffic police.”
The official said keeping this situation in view, it was imperative to set up traffic police stations similar to the K-Electric, KDA, mines and minerals and anti-encroachment police stations.
“The staff posted at these police stations is specialised in their fields and producing good results in comparison with the cops at regular police stations.”
Similarly, Shaikh said, the traffic police were more skilled when it came to dealing with road accidents caused by rash and negligent driving or other reasons e.g. deteriorated roads, engineering defects, weather problems, vehicle condition etc and could thoroughly investigate and prosecute these cases for the speedy conviction of the accused.
The DIG said the strength of each of the proposed police stations would be a DSP, a prosecuting inspector, an inspector, six sub-inspectors, an ASI, four head constables and 10 constables.
He added that each police station would also need three pick-up vans, seven motorcycles and an ambulance that could rush to the scene of an accident as well as sub-machine guns to tackle law and order situations.
Besides, he said, computers, printers, UPS, digital cameras, TV, landline phones and investigation kits would also be required.
The official said it had been proposed that the FIRs the traffic police stations would lodge would include charges under sections 320, 322, 337-G of the Pakistan Penal Code (fatal/ non-fatal accidents), section 279 of the Pakistan Penal Code (rash and negligent driving at public places) and sections 420/468/469/471/472/473/474 of Pakistan Penal Code (forged documents of vehicles.
Other sections include Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (disobeying time restriction by drivers of heavy vehicles under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code), Section 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code (resisting or obstructing a public servant in the due execution of duty) and Section 341 of the Pakistan Penal Code (parking mafia and others who obstruct traffic).