1008 KP cops dismissed for corrupt practices in 4 years

PESHAWAR: More than 1,000 police officials were dismissed from service and 7,224 were awarded other punishments for alleged corruption, misuse of power and links with smugglers and criminals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since October 2013, a source told The News.

Not a single officer of grade-18 or above, however, is among the 8,232 policemen who were awarded different kinds of punishments for their wrongdoings during the last more than four years, the source said. Some officers were removed from their positions after numerous complaints but they had to be immediately compensated and given important assignments.

The source said as many as 1,008 policemen have been dismissed from service or compulsorily retired all over the province since October 2013. They included 13 acting superintendents of police (SPs) or deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), eight inspectors, 54 sub-inspectors, 49 assistant sub-inspectors, 91 head constables and 793 constables.

Apart from dismissals, 7,224 policemen from the rank of acting SP/DSP down to constables were awarded other punishments, including reversion. The 7,224 cops awarded different punishments included eight acting SPs/DSPs, 79 inspectors, 578 sub-inspectors, 704 ASIs, 986 head constables and 4,869 constables.

Actions against policemen for corruption, links with criminals and misuse of power were accelerated after Nasir Khan Durrani was appointed Inspector General of Police for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A significant decrease has been witnessed in actions against corrupt police officials during the last many months, giving a sort of relief to the ‘bad cops’. The ratio of the strictest penalty of dismissal from service is particularly on the decline since mid-2017.

Another sources told The News that only two officers were removed from service or compulsorily retired during the second half of 2017. The rest of the 34 policemen sacked during the period were constables while four were head constables.

A number of policemen dismissed from service were reinstated when they approached the Service Tribunal or the concerned courts. Some of these officers were said to be innocent and charges levelled against them were baseless. In other cases, the authorities couldn’t prove the charges against those sacked.

An overwhelming majority of those dismissed from service during the last over four years were constables. The sources said among the 1,008 dismissed policemen, 793 (78.67 percent) were constables. The ratio of officers of grade-17 sacked on the basis of corruption, misuse of power or links with criminals and smugglers is only 1.2 percent.

Not a single officer of grade-18 or above was dismissed from service or awarded major punishment in the last four years. Nobody could conduct proper inquiry against seniors who allegedly made huge properties during service and remained under criticism for misuse of official funds and powers.

The spokesman for the KP Police Waqar Ahmad said IGP Salahuddin Khan Mahsud has made it clear that corruption will not be tolerated at any level in the force and strictest action against those involved in any corrupt practice or misuse of power will continue. He added that 40 policemen have been dismissed from service while 510 were awarded other kind of punishments during the last six months of the previous year.

“There is no place for any corrupt officer or junior official in the KP Police. Dismissal of over 1,000 officials for corruption and misuse of power in the last over four years speaks volumes of the commitment of the KP Police administration about going after corrupt elements in the force,” Waqar Ahmad added.