KP yet to appoint DSPs through PSC

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government could not recruit a single deputy superintendent of police (DSP) directly in grade-17 or from the senior inspectors through the Public Service Commission (PSC) to implement the Police Act 2017 in letter and spirit, a source told The News.

The KP Police have been facing acute shortage of officers in senior grades for the last many years as most of the cops are reluctant to be posted in the province due to the challenging circumstances. A large number of junior officials have occupied the positions of DSPs as well as superintendents of police (SPs), SSPs and deputy inspectors general (DIGs) through shoulder promotion or acting charge basis, a source said.

“The KP Police authorities through an act last year approved recruitment of DSPs through the Public Service Commission. The ratio of the directly recruited DSPs would be five percent of the available vacancies,” a source said on Tuesday.

Besides, the source added, it is recommended in the law that 25 percent of the DSPs would be appointed from the qualified inspectors through the Public Service Commission.

This will provide young and qualified officers to the force in grade-17 to effectively go after the criminals and terrorists and better maintain law and order.

“There is 60 percent quota for ex-cadre DSPs in grade-17. According to the new Act, 25 percent of them would be appointed through PSC from among the deserving inspectors and remaining would be promoted through departmental selection committee from among the inspectors. Besides, five percent would be inducted through PSC as fresh candidates,” said the source.

The source added that the dearth of officers in grade-17 and above can be overcome with the appointment of DSPs through PSC.

“Even after the passage of the Act, it is yet to be implemented in letter and spirit, either because of the delaying tactics by the government or the Central Police Office,” said the source.

The source pointed out that the CPO is yet to initiate the process to recruit DSPs directly and to elevate others from the already serving graduate inspectors in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police.

“There should be no hurdle in direct appointment of fresh candidates or to give an opportunity to the serving inspectors so that they can

qualify for the 25 percent posts of the DSPs,” said an inspector who is educated and qualified.

He complained that probably the ranker DSPs are opposed to the idea and this is the reason the process is taking so long to be implemented.