Force divided over proposed Police Act

Junior officials demand improved structure; a group of
rankers oppose direct recruitment of DSPs, other support it

PESHAWAR: The proposed Police Act has divided the force to the extent that now junior police officers have launched a campaign to oppose some of its points, including the direct recruitment of deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in Grade-17.

The junior officials recruited as constables and assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) have written a letter to the inspector general of police (IGP) and circulated it on social media that they would not accept the direct recruitment of the DSPs in the force. Another group, however, support the idea of directly recruiting DSPs.

“We want the bosses of the force to convey to the select committee of the government that 99 percent strength of the force is against the idea of direct recruitment as DSPs,” read the letter addressed to IGP and circulated to the regular media and the social media. 

The junior officers pointed out that in the 68,000-strong regular police force there were 695 positions of inspectors, 239 positions of DSPs and only 137 posts in grade-18 to grade-21. 

“The government should provide equal promotion opportunities to the experienced junior officials instead of recruiting inexperienced officers directly. The news that such recruitment is being considered has demoralised the rankers,” the letter stressed. It added that direct recruitment would stop the rankers from being promoted.

Another group within the rankers says the direct recruitment is good for the province. “The rankers, PSPs and PCS should be given equal share on senior grades instead of opposing the recruitment of DSPs,” another group added. 

A source disclosed that the campaign to oppose of DSP’s recruitment has been launched at the behest of some PSPs who are against the idea. 

A group of officers who were recruited as DSPs has been asking the government for long to restart direct recruitment in the police in grade-17 to overcome the shortage of officers in senior grades.

They are also demanding proper service structure for those directly recruited as DSPs in grade-17 and have been ignored in promotions since long. Majority of them have been inducted into the Police Service of Pakistan while others are still looking for a provincial quota for the PCS cops.

The PSP officers are opposed to the direct recruitment and have never considered the provincial officers equal
to them. 

A section of the civilian bureaucracy and some politicians supported the demand of the PCS Police officers to treat them like the Provincial Management Service and other provincial groups with proper quota, service structure and direct recruitment. 

The rankers have openly opposed the demand for direct recruitment as DSPs and in the letter to the IGP they sought personal hearing by the committee in this regard. 

While the tussle between various cadres of officers and politicians over the proposed Police Order has hit headlines, hundreds of junior cops of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have re-launched a movement to seek proper service structure. 

The officers of the PSP and PCS had been at loggerheads for months over the issue of promotions and the provincial quota in senior grades.

The KP Police remained engaged in another clash with civil bureaucracy over the proposed Police Act 2016 and the powers of police and district administration.

Now politicians too have expressed concern over a number of points in the proposed Police Order.

The rankers in April last year demanded inclusion of the matter of provincial service structure in the proposed Police Act to benefit the officials down to the ranks of assistant sub-inspectors and constables.

Several meetings were held in Peshawar wherein officers of the rank of acting superintendents of police (SPs), DSPs, inspectors and junior policemen expressed anger at being ignored by the senior cops
who have locked horns against each other.

The meetings agreed to
informally launch a body with a few acting SPs and DSPs in the core committee to fight for the rights of the cops below grade-18.

The rankers claim that 99 percent sacrifices were rendered by the cops from DSP down to constables.

They added that of the 688 cops killed in six years only one was from PSP and another was a directly recruited DSP.