Significant decrease in corruption in police after over 4,000 cops punished

PESHAWAR: A significant decrease has been reported in corruption in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police after more than 4,000 cops were punished in the last two years.

However, some of the police officials complained they were wrongly punished on anonymous letters mostly sent by their rivals and criminals.The harsh punishments have reduced the level of corruption in the KP Police, especially at the police station level. Though many cops are still minting money, others have stopped committing wrong acts out of fear of punishment.

Since 2013, a number of deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), inspectors, sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors, head constables and constables were dismissed, reverted, censured or awarded other kind of punishments for alleged corruption and misuse of power. Hundreds of cases are still pending against other officers.

Interestingly, not a single officer of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) cadre was awarded any major punishment in the last three years. A couple of them were removed from key positions on the basis of complaints that led to the dismissal of junior cops. And these PSP officers were given other key positions within no time.

Many cops who were dismissed from service complained that the ground made for the punishment awarded to them were so weak that they could be censured, or awarded minor punishment only on the basis of the inquiry reports. They lamented that instead they were dismissed straightaway.

A number of officers dismissed in the last two years have already been reinstated by the Services Tribunal and other bodies that they had moved against their dismissal. “Many smugglers and criminals arrested by the policemen send anonymous letters or SMS through some of their co-workers to the IGP in a bid to take revenge. In many cases, some good officers were suspended and placed under inquiry,” said a police officer.

He added that in some anonymous letters the complainants levelled baseless allegations of corruption and thus kept the senior policemen busy checking assets of their juniors instead of taking care of the law and order situation.

The officials suggested that the assets of the suspected cops should be checked through the National Accountability Bureau or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission instead of involving the cops who are heading operations in their respective districts. They felt the lifestyle of the officers can be a good evidence to check the level of corruption.

 “Now in most of the cases, the inquiry officers recommend major punishment as this is liked by the seniors. Also, some of the inquiries are sent to those officers who are not on good terms with the suspended cops or have sent negative reports against them in the past,” complained another cop.

When contacted, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nasir Khan Durrani said no action or suspension against a policeman took place without inquiry by the senior officer, mostly of their own districts.

“Unless there is a major complaint, lenient view is taken if the complainant patch up with the concerned officer voluntarily. It ensured that complainants don’t blackmail officers through this way,” said Nasir Durrani.