Additional force provided to all districts for Chehlum security, says IGP

Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said on Friday additional forces have been provided to all districts regarding foolproof security arrangements on the occasion of Chehlum.

All officers have been instructed to keep their respective staff alert at all times, he said while chairing a meeting held at the Central Police Office to review security arrangements for Hazrat Imam Hussain’s Chehlum processions, steps taken against drug peddlers, and progress in ongoing investigations in registered cases.

He directed that in order to make intelligence information effective and coordinated in the relevant districts and areas, contacts with the Special Branch should be strengthened while the process of keeping a close watch on suspicious vehicles, movements and activities should be ensured.

Officials said IGP Memon also reviewed committee matters regarding the appointment and posting of investigating officers, use of the police station budget, and action against those who cheated for jobs in the recruitment process in the Sindh Police. The details presented regarding the arrests of the accused involved in police killings and kidnappings for ransom were reviewed separately and necessary instructions were given.

The IGP asked the officers present in the meeting to prepare a list of classifications of drug peddlers in the respective districts so that strict measures and crackdowns against drug peddlers, their operatives and groups could be made successful. He said the use of drugs not only affected the environment but also led to intensification in the behaviour and modus operandi of criminals, so “we as a team have to ensure its elimination”.

He said that responsibilities should be assigned to the best, experienced and well-mannered officers at the level of police stations so that the public’s trust in the police could be unwavering.

He said that the duty officers posted in the police stations will be authorized to register FIRs and they will have to ensure citizens’ complaints are addressed without any delay.

Memon further said that the appointment of expert and experienced investigating officers with law degrees in the investigation department should be ensured and they should be empowered to take overall actions in this regard.

In addition, training courses, sessions and workshops are also being organized in all training schools/colleges to enhance the capacity of investigating officers, which will undoubtedly make the investigation of cases and their successful logical conclusion more effective and extraordinary.

The IGP said the functional unit of the police department is the police station, and the rest are all supervisory offices because citizens suffering from problems first approach the police stations for a report, so it is necessary that this unit should not only be financially stable and strong but also empowered.

He said the budget allocated by the Sindh government should be utilized at the police station level, while all possible steps should be taken to take strict legal action against those who cheat innocent candidates in police recruitment. He urged the officers present in the meeting to ensure the arrest of absconding/proclaimed offenders in cases of murder, police killings, kidnapping for ransom in the respective districts and keep special focus on issues such as intelligence collection and following in this regard.

Karachi’s additional IG, CTD, Operations, DIGs of Special Branch, Investigation and Crime Branch, Establishment, Headquarters, Traffic, Investigation Karachi, CIA, Finance, East, West, South, AIGs, Operations, Admin attended the meeting in person, while DIGs of Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, and Shaheed Benazirabad and the SSP of Hyderabad participated through video link.