IGP takes notice of misuse of funds at police station level

The Sindh inspector general of police (IGP), Ghulam Nabi Memon, has taken notice of complaints regarding misuse of funds in various departments of the Sindh police, especially at the police station level, and ordered the DIGs and SSPs to monitor the issue in their respective ranges and units.

Officials said reports about misuse of funds released to different units of the Sindh police, especially to police stations in Karachi, had been emerging, which prompted the Sindh police chief to taken notice of the situation. He directed the assistant IG operations to write a letter to the Karachi additional IG in this regard. Officials said the SHOs had been given the powers of DDO but those powers were being misused, and the funds not used properly.

IGP Memon has instructed the DIGs and SSPs to personally monitor the situation and ensure that there were no contradictions in the distribution and utilisation of DDO funds at the level of SHO, DSP and SP in future.The letter sent to the Karachi additional IG reads, “I am directed to refer to the subject cited above and to state that DDO powers allotted to Station House Officers of Karachi Range are not being properly utilized and there is discrepancy in utilization of the funds. The competent authority has taken a serious view of aforesaid practice. “In this regard, I am directed to convey that Range DIGs and district SSPs shall personally supervise and monitor the situation and ensure that no discrepancy in issuance and utilization of DDO funds at SHO, SDPO and SP level be reported in future. No laxity in this regard shall be tolerated and strict department action shall be taken against supervisory officers.”

Officials said that later, the Sindh police chief held a meeting on facilities and issues at the police hospitals in the province. He presided over the video link conference and meeting at the Central Police Office in Karachi and reviewed in detail all the issues of police hospitals in Sindh.The meeting was attended by the additional IGs of finance and welfare, DIGs, AIGs of welfare and admin, E&M, finance, logistics, MS police hospitals Karachi and Hyderabad, project director IT and DIGs of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Larkana and Sukkur ranges.

Officials said the assistant IG welfare Irfan Bahadur briefed the meeting about the manpower available at the police hospital in Karachi, working of doctors, emergency, medicines, gynaecology, and dental, physiotherapy and other facilities available. The police chief said a formal list should be prepared for the purchase of medicines in the next financial year with the aim of ensuring the supply of necessary medicines along with medical treatment to the police officers and officials.

He formed a committee for upgrade and renovation of all the police hospitals and clinics in Sindh and gave necessary instructions to the head of the committee in this regard. He stressed the need for ensuring quality of all medicines. Approving the upgrade of the police lab in Karachi, he said it was important for the lab to be state of the art.Moreover, the Sindh IGP also reviewed the progress of the task force against drugs and gutka and presided over a meeting of its officers. He congratulated them on their performance and announced the reward of a basic salary to the officers of the task force for their excellent performance.

IGP Memon said targeted action should be taken against drug dealers and mafia. Special focus should be laid on the convictions of the arrested accused, he added. He said that hard work of the investigation officers would be encouraged.

Additional IG Investigation Munir Sheikh briefed the meeting and said that the cases of drugs, gutka and mawa would be taken to their logical conclusion. He informed the meeting that for the first time in history, a big action had been taken against the drug and gutka mafias.Additional IG Special Branch Khadim Hussain Rind said that the list of narcotics dealers had been made available to police officers. The list was based on ABC classifications and intelligence reports were also shared with the task force, he added.