Peshawar city Patrol Force gets 42 bikes

PESHAWAR: Female riders will be deployed in the busy trade centres frequented by women to maintain law and order as the City Patrol Force on Friday got 42 new motorbikes for patrolling in the provincial capital.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan handed over the motorbikes to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police on the third anniversary of the City Patrol Force that was launched in November 2016 as the first responder force to any emergency or crime. The force presently has 22 cars for patrolling in Peshawar.

Lauding the sacrifices of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police for restoration of peace, he said the government was committed to providing more facilities as well as modern technology to the police. Mahmood Khan said the City Patrol Force has been doing a great job as the first responder for the last three years and its performance would further improve with deployment of 42 motorbikes. A contingent of police presented salute to the chief minister on his arrival at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines where he also laid floral wreath at the memorial of the martyrs of the force.

Mahmood Khan was briefed about the performance of the City Patrol Force in countering crime and helping people in emergencies to promote the soft image of police. The chief minister handed over the bikes to Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammad Naeem Khan, and Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Karim Khan. The motorbikes will be used for patrolling the narrow streets of Peshawar, where complaints of snatching, robberies and street crimes are heard more than other places.

An official said that at least four of the policewomen would also be deployed on motorbikes in the busy trade centres, particularly the ones frequented by women. He added that the motorbikes were equipped to respond to any emergency or crime in the city. The force has responded to 2,147 emergency calls and rescued 1,640 people in various emergencies during the first eight months of the current year.

It still has no proper offices and other facilities for its officers and cops, including trained and educated women. According to officials, the response time to any emergency is two to five minutes, which is far better than other countries. During the current year, the City Patrol Force has rescued over 1,640 people, helped 5,140 individuals and responded to over 2,100 different kinds of emergencies, an official said.

The official added that the force had educated, trained and smart officers. "During the current year, the City Patrol Force has checked 2,650 suspects, 2,992 vehicles and 519 rented houses. Besides, the force checked the security of 3,102 schools, cleared traffic jams on more than 5,500 occasions, prevented 59 cases of street crimes, carried out random checking at 2,584 occasions and geo-tagged houses of 74 criminals involved in heinous crimes," an official explained.

He added that the CNICs and cars were checked through technology for over 7,000 times. The force is divided into 20 patrolling parties, 12 in Cantonment Division and eight in the City Division. It is headed by a DSP assisted by an inspector.