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Thursday March 28, 2024

SOP issued for transfers, postings of SHOs throughout Sindh

By Salis bin Perwaiz
July 15, 2019

A standing operating procedure (SOP) has been issued for the transfer and posting of station house officers (SHOs) throughout Sindh, The News learnt on Sunday.

A senior officer said that in connection with the reshuffle of officials, the Sindh police chief has decided to establish a mechanism for their transfer and posting, with the order that the SOP be consulted before making any changes.

According to the SOP issued by the IGP, an SHO holds a position of significant importance in the police and criminal justice administration. He said the success or failure of policing at police station level, service delivery at grassroots level, prevention and detection of crime and maintenance of law and order depends largely on the selection of suitable officers.

The selection of suitable officers as SHOs has become all the more critical due to the current precarious law and order and security situation in the country, he added.

Objectives

To ensure merit-based selection of the most suitable officers for the position in a transparent mechanism, the following guidelines are hereby issued. All regional/zonal DIGs and DSPs are directed to follow these guidelines in letter and spirit to ensure transparency and selection of the best people for the job.

Police rules

Inspectors and sub-inspectors are not to serve in their home district, except for special reasons and with the approval of the IGP in each case. According to the eligibility criteria, District SSPs/SPs would create a pool of suitable officers fulfilling the following eligibility criteria for posting as SHOs.

The SHOs should be upper school course qualified sub-inspectors and inspectors with clean service records, should not be facing trial before any NAB court, ACE court or criminal court, or any serious criminal charges inclusive of moral turpitude.

The SHOs should not have been previously transferred on charges of corruption or misconduct, unless exonerated after due departmental proceedings. They should possess good skills in community relations and public dealing, and must be physically fit and mentally alert to withstand the stress and rigour of field assignment. In rural areas an officer should not be posted as SHO in his home district.

Posting procedure

District SSPs and SPs would be the appointing authorities for the posting of SHOs from among the pool of officers created at district level. District SSPs and SPs may requisition the services of officers not in the district pool for their posting as SHOs from other district, zone, range or region, as the case may be. The tenure of every SHO would be for a minimum period of one year.

Premature transfer

An SHO can only be transferred prematurely by the District SSP or SP after prior approval of the DIG Range or Zone on the following compelling reasons.

The SHO becomes ineligible to fulfil the criteria as mentioned in the SOP, shows unsatisfactory performance or failure in controlling crime and maintain law and order, is physically or mentally incapacitated, is found guilty of faulty and defective investigation, has criminal charges framed against him by a court of law, or is awarded major punishment for charges of misuse of official authority, inefficiency or corruption.

The SHO also becomes ineligible if he is superseded by any promotion board or committee, a complaint is registered against him with tangible material of serious misconduct, inefficiency or corruption duly established by an enquiry officer, he voluntary requests to be transferred due to some unavoidable personal reason endorsed by his superior officer, is proceeding on departmental course of a duration of more than 30 days or is proceeding on leave of any kind for a period of more than 21 days.

Re-posting

An officer prematurely transferred or removed from the post of SHO due to unsatisfactory performance, inefficiency, corruption, gross misconduct, etc would not be considered for posting as SHO for a minimum period of one year, that too after the approval of the zone or range DIG.

An officer who has remained posted for a cumulative period of one year at a police station would not be re-posted at the same police station until there is a gap of three years.

End of assignment

On transfer from one post to another, the outgoing officer would prepare a comprehensive End of Assignment Report and hand it over to his successor.

Such a report may contain information related to job description, main achievements made during the officer’s tenure, available resources, issues and challenges, ongoing projects requiring supervision, upcoming high-profile events, current issues requiring attention of his successor, sensitive matters deserving immediate attention and other relevant information related to that assignment.

In case an SHO is transferred, he would write the requisite information in Register No. 25 at the police station as well. The outgoing SHO would hand over Register No. 25 to his successor along with his remarks duly recorded in accordance with the relevant police rules. The outgoing SHO would ensure all police station vehicles, equipment and registers are also handed over to his successor.

Capacity building

The Training Branch and the Establishment Branch would coordinate with the relevant offices for organising orientation and capacity building courses for officers to enhance their capabilities, skills and effective implementation of the SOP. The Central Police Office’s Operation Branch would disseminate the SOP to all units in the Sindh police for implementation.

SOP revision

The SOP is being issued to ensure transparent and merit-based mechanism for the transfer and posting of SHOs in the Sindh police within the parameters of the existing laws and rules. The SOP would be revised as and when the relevant rules are framed, amended or updated and notified.

Disclaimer

No suite, prosecution or other legal proceedings would lie against any officer serving for the time being in the Sindh police for anything done or intended to be done in good faith under the SOP or the instructions or directions issued hereunder. No officer would be entitled to claim posting as a matter of right citing any provision of the SOP.