PALS offers training to Punjab police in modern policing

LAHORE: Rohail Khalid, the head of Pakistan Law Enforcement Society (PALS), an organisation of more than 600 Pakistani officers of the New York Police Department, has said the Punjab Police officials have been invited to America for training on modern policing. He believes that after training, the crime rate can be brought down by the Punjab Police.

The Punjab Police would be provided training and awareness on public safety and neighbourhood policing as these are important things to reduce the crime rate.

He said this while talking to this reporter here on Wednesday after meetings of a 24-member delegation consisting of captains, detectives, lieutenants, sergeants and traffic supervisors of the New York Police Department with the Punjab Home Department and police officials. He said the Punjab Police would learn new things and benefit a lot from increased communication with the PALS.

Rohail Khalid said “public to public” and “police to police” relations had started with Pakistan. He said the impact of the visit of officers of New York Police Department would not only reach the police but also civilians, though it depends on how far the Pakistani police benefit from their experiences.

Detective Rohail Khalid said the meeting with authorities from the Punjab Home Department was good. He received a briefing about Child Protection Bureau and other projects. Members of the delegation were impressed and happy to see the state-of-the-art Punjab Forensic Science Agency.

The PALS’s head said if the crime rate in Pakistan would reduce, people from all over the world would come to Pakistan, which would not only boost tourism but also improve Pakistan’s revenue and businesses. He said bringing outsiders to Pakistan was very important.

The PALS chief said they had taken their visit so seriously that they did not even go to their ancestral homes. “We are going to Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Gilgit, Skardu so that when we go back to America, a positive message is sent there that Pakistan is a safe and beautiful country,” he added.

Detective Rohail Khalid said that for the first time in history, his organisation, PALS, had introduced March as the ‘Pakistan Heritage Month’ to introduce Pakistani culture at the New York Police Headquarters, in which the PakistaniaAmbassador to the US also made a special appearance.

The head of the Pakistan Law Enforcement Society said for the first time in history the US sent such a large number of its officers in uniform to Pakistan. It had never happened before, he added. The US government allowed PALS to go to Pakistan in uniform and represent the New York Police Department. It was a big deal to allow such a large number of Pakistanis and non-Pakistanis to go to another country in uniform.

He said it took five years to plan the tour. He said that other police officials, including New York Police Department commissioner and New York City Police chief, are very happy with the ‘Public to Public’ and ‘Police to Police’ programmes. In the 24-member delegation, 18 police officers were Moroccan and Chinese-American officers while six were civilian officers.