Police protection centres playing key role in society: IG

LAHORE:Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab Dr Usman Anwar on Sunday said that police protection centres were role models for other provinces as these were guarantors of protection of the rights of all the deprived sections, including transgenders, who become victims to social injustice.

Addressing a one-day interactive session and workshop here, he said that protection centres was a project of Punjab police to help women suffering from domestic violence, violation of women’s rights, women suffering from insecurity, homeless children, special persons with mental disabilities, who have been suffering from social problems. During the session, the IGP reviewed the roles, responsibilities, challenges and achievements of victim support officers, in-charges of protection centers.

The IGP also announced a cash award of more than six million rupees for police protection centres with good performance in various districts. The centres provided social security to weak people and citizens, he said and added that the police protection centres were providing full legal support to the transgender community, women and children who fell victims of violence, abuse, harassment and exploitation. Now protection was being provided at the level of regions and districts to solve the problems of maximum people by creating a more active and effective complaint mechanism for transgenders from platforms of the centers, he maintained.

The IGP said that to improve the performance of the victim support officers working in the protection centres, skills development, professional training and more resources would be provided. He emphasised upon seeking support of people from different walks of life to help transgenders, homeless children and women.

He directed that no effort would be spared in providing social and legal protection to the oppressed, destitute and unjust citizens. Dr Usman Anwar said that the purpose of this one-day session was to create such a mechanism through mutual consultation and information sharing that could solve the problems of maximum people. He said that all possible relief should be given to the affected persons by improving the coordination with the public and private institutions of police protection centres. During the session, DIG Punjab Highway Patrol (PHP) Athar Waheed gave a lecture for the training of protection centers staff on community policing, victim support, monitoring and rehabilitation mechanisms and other important issues. Similarly, the participants were informed about transgenders, social protection of victims, health and psychological counselling along with full awareness on the topics of legal consultation. Victim support officers, supervisory officers, in-charges of various districts including Lahore who participated in the consultation session presented suggestions for the improvement of protection centers in the light of their field experiences, which were discussed in detail. DIG IT Ahsan Younus, AIG Admin Amara Athar including senior police officers, lawyers, representatives of NGOs participated in the consultation session.