PSP objects to encadrement of provincial police officers

Islamabad
The Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) has expressed serious reservations about the Establishment Division’s decision to encadre provincial police officers, which ultimately will give the police force’s leadership in the hands of officers belonging to the latter service group.
The News has learnt that the National Police Bureau (NPB), Secretariat of Police Service of Pakistan, has demanded of the federal government to hold meetings of pending promotion boards of PSP/CSS officer against the BS-18 to 21 prior to the proposed edcadrement of provincial police officers so that all the vacancies trickle down to BS-17 and 18.
The letter, addressed to secretary Establishment Division, also pointed rules which said that the share of provincial police officers “shall not exceed 40 percent of the senior cadre posts”.
Quoting the present figures, the NPB pointed out that in the senior cadre posts (BS 18 to 22) there was shortage of 101 posts which was 23 percent and 93 posts of ASPs were vacant.
In this scenario, if the PPOs were encadred prior to the filling of vacant posts, it would lead to complete imbalance in PSP and its destruction in future.
The NPB has requested the Establishment Division that in order to meet shortage of PSP officers it was essential that the shortage of directly recruited PSP officers was worked out on priority and made good through promotions and fresh recruitment, other encadrement of Provincial Police Officers prior to the meeting shortage of PSP officers would lead to dominance of the PPOs in senior leadership positions in future, which will upset the balance and service delivery in PSP, which was already deteriorating due to shortage of PSP officers.
The NPB has suggested that this top down approach will provide exact vacancy position for promotion of PSP officers and encadrement of provincial police officer as 60:40 share respectively, without affecting either category and as a result would also eliminate chances of any unnecessary litigation in courts of law.
It has also been pointed out that ASP promotion boards are normally delayed even after completion of their five years mandatory service and other pr-requisites to the advantage of encadred provincial police officers who ultimately stand senior to directly recruited PSP officers for all time to come. Therefore, it is paramount that shortage in 60% share of PSP officers be made good through promotion, the NPB stated.
The NPB has also requested the Establishment Division that in order to meet shortage in the PSP, fresh ASPs should be recruited on priority basis otherwise in future the balance of share of PSP will tilt in favour of encadred officers.
Presently, 93 posts of ASPs are vacant and this shortage will further enhance as and when promotion of PSP officers are made according to their share, the NPB pointed out.
Similarly, due to overall shortage of PSP officers, 54 posts of police officer in organizations like FIA, IB and FC are vacant. As a result, the share of PSP officers in such organizations is reducing as officers from these organizations are being posted against quota reserved for PSP officers, document said.
The NPB has also pointed out that sanctioned strength in BS-17 of PSP officers as compared to DSPs was too small and had not been revised since long in spite of the expansion of police forces. Even today existing sanctioned strength of ASPs was short of officers due to lack of planned recruitment through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) over the years, a letter addressed to the Establishment Division said.
According to the figures given by the NPB in Punjab and Sindh provinces ASPs got just eight percent share in the posting in grade 17. In KP, ASPs share is 7.6 percent, in Balochistan just 1.7 percent and in Islamabad this share stands at 16.3 percent. In the light of these figures, it has been proposed that the share of PSP officers means ASPs should be increased to at least 25 percent.
Pointing out litigation between the PSP and encadrement officers, the Establishment Division has been requested to implement the decision of SC against antedated seniority of encadred officers in civil appeals No 1122, 1123 of 2011 and 1343 of 2014 before the proposed encadrement to avoid further litigation.