If women don’t file complaints, police to act as plaintiffs: IGP

The Sindh police chief said on Monday that if women or their family members do not approach the police to file their complaints, then the law enforcers themselves will acts as plaintiffs and take action in their cases.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Syed Kaleem Imam said this on the occasion of the inauguration of the province’s 30th Woman & Child Protection Cell at the Saudabad Malir Headquarters. Twenty-nine such cells are already engaged in solving and trying to prevent different crimes related to women and children.

The IGP said that women should be independent, and that fear needs to be removed from the environment so that they too can play their individual as well as collective roles without any apprehension in the educational and economic spheres.

To efficiently deal with complaints as well as the crimes committed against women and children, the number of female officials at police stations will be increased so they can promptly address all such cases.

Discouraging the practice of mistreatment and harassment of women at the hands of police officials, Imam said that such behaviour is intolerable, and that the perpetrators will face severe disciplinary action.

“There is an urgent need to introduce measures to deal with this kind of behaviour by ensuring that women can register their complaints against their harassers over the phone so that necessary action can be taken against them.”

The police chief said that actionable proposals containing all the necessary documentation should be considered for further deliberation, and that further action should be taken by considering measures such as setting up of women & child protection cells at police station levels.

The inaugural ceremony was also attended by Karachi police chief Additional IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon, the East deputy IGP, the Malir senior superintendent of police and prominent personalities associated with the civil society.