IGP wants 294 newly promoted inspectors empowered for better policing

Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon on Saturday met 294 newly promoted inspectors and said “we have to provide maximum opportunities to new and talented inspectors for the responsibilities of SHOs” through innovation in policing and introducing people-friendly initiatives.

Officials said a ceremony was held in honour of the 294 officers promoted to the rank of inspector at the Central Police Office Karachi. IGP Memon and the Sindh Establishment DIG congratulated the officers promoted from sub-inspectors to inspectors in Karachi Division and expressed their best wishes for them to make the overall policing affairs better and people-friendly in the near future.

The provincial police chief said empowering all these SHOs and police stations and making them financially independent was his top priority, and all steps were being taken to transfer the budget directly to the police stations and to give power to the SHOs, which was aimed at removing possible obstacles to the policing process.

“We are well aware that the only difference between police officers and security personnel is in the investigative capacity and authority, and the goodwill and good reputation of an expert and talented police officer depends on his good conduct with the people and his courage and bravery against crime,” he said.

Memon said that for the successful logical conclusion of cases and trials for exemplary sentences from courts, we need to make our investigation department stronger and effective and in this regard we have to use modern technologies and investigation priorities.

He said the main reason for the decline in street crime in Karachi is the timely action of the police against criminals, groups, their patrons and facilitators and that is why Karachi’s crime rate has come down to 160 incidents per day. He said recommendations are under consideration to increase the posts of 8,000 more senior ranks in the Sindh Police divisions, and these posts will provide opportunities to officers who want and wait for promotions in the police divisions at one time. This, he said, will undoubtedly not only raise their morale but also improve their financial incentives after retirement.

The IGP further said that measures like health insurance are also being introduced for police personnel and their families, which will enable police personnel to get treatment of up to one million rupees from any good and quality hospital in the country. It will lead to gradual development in the future.

Later, IGP Memon met a 20-member delegation of the business community at CPO, led by Senior Vice President Saqib Fayyaz Magoon, who expressed satisfaction over the security measures at the provincial level and the police strategy in this regard.

He briefed the delegation comprising FPCCI officials and representatives in detail about the maintenance of law and order from January 2024 to May 15, 2024 in Sindh, especially Karachi, and the police control over the situation.

He informed the meeting that 146 suspects were killed and 7,696 arrested in 1,480 police encounters in different districts of the province. Moreover, during the last 135 days of this year, 76 suspects were killed and 2,249 suspects were arrested in a total of 546 encounters with criminal elements, gangs and their operatives in different districts of the three zones of Karachi. Forty-nine cases of accused involved in street crime incidents were registered in Karachi, out of which 15 suspects were killed and 53 arrested as a result of police action towards resolution of 35 cases.

Covering the details of crimes in the city, he informed the delegation that 252 cases were being reported daily in January 2024 in Karachi. But as a result of effective police strategy and concrete measures against crime and street criminals, the rate of street crime in Karachi has seen a decline last month, while 160 incidents of street crime are being reported daily in May this month. He further said that the incidents of snatching mobile phones in Karachi have also come down.

The IGP said 70 robbers were killed and 389 arrested during intelligence-based operations in Sukkur, Ghotki, Kashmore and Kacha areas of Shikarpur, while 17 police personnel were martyred during the operations of police officers and jawans against the robbers.

He said a total of 43,495 cases were registered from January to May this year as compared to 41,166 cases across the province last year. Memon said proper registration of cases and effective investigation are the key to the arrest of the accused and exemplary punishment. In the case of non-registration of cases, most of the accused benefit, while this process also harms the justice system.

He said that to prevent crime, the Sindh police are installing face recognition cameras at the entry and exit points of cities, especially on the Northern Bypass, while e-tagging system will also be introduced soon to monitor habitual suspects.

He said his police teams are trying their best to make Karachi a haven of peace.