KP Police briefings in district councils being received well

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police have started giving presentations to the district councils about the new police order and the cops have already briefed the elected members in Peshawar, Haripur, Nowshera, Mansehra, Swabi and Torghar, said a handout.

Under the law, a district police officer will present police performance report to a district council twice a year. The house will debate the law and order situation in the district on the pattern of the provincial assembly.

According to the officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, the Police Order 2016 has been drafted by eminent people from within and outside the force to ensure political neutrality and operational independence.

“The internal and external accountability mechanism provided in the new law is so elaborate that any excess or malpractice of a police officer will come to the fore immediately and he/she will be penalised,” said the handout.

It said the step was remarkable in the administrative history of Pakistan that the police have offered themselves for accountability by public through their elected representatives. The handout said the district councils appreciated the concept of Regional Complaint Authority provided in (Section 69 ) of the ordinance, comprising retired judges, civil officers and members of civil society to hold enquires into police excesses, torture and malpractices.

The members asked the government to extend the jurisdiction of Regional Complaint Authority to all other departments in the district so that their performance can be gauged and public service delivery improved.

The houses also appreciated the initiatives of the police like Police Access Service (PAS), Police Assistance Lines (PAL) and Dispute Resolution Councils (DRCs).Many leaders from opposition parties during their visits to different public service initiatives of KP Police and its specialised schools also appreciated the government and police command for equipping the Police Department on modern lines to meet the new emerging challenges.