Karachi police gear up for coronavirus emergency

Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon held a meeting at his office on Monday and issued directives to counter the threat of coronavirus in the city.

Talking to The News, Additional IGP Memon said he held a meeting with zonal DIGs, district SSPs and SP investigation, and meeting deliberated on all issues of police responsibility with reference to the coronavirus emergency and took a number of decisions.

According the decisions, all police leave has been cancelled and nobody will be allowed leave except in extreme emergency. The district SSP has to ensure presence for duty of all police personnel, who have been relieved by the training institutions due to the coronavirus emergency.

Police reserves have been raised at the police station, divisional SP, district SSPs, zonal DIGs and additional IGP level to meet any law and order situation. It has been decided that the police will be polite but very firm in taking action against violations like functions at marriage halls, and holding of temporary bazaars.

Karachi’s top cop said that police had provided security to 22 hospitals, where isolation facilities had been arranged by the government. District SSPs would ensure that no police officer was deployed at such locations who was old or having any medical issue so that collateral damage may be avoided. The SSPs will arrange a proper protective gear for such police officers for their security.

Memon said the SSPs would take stock of their anti-riot equipment and send their demands in case of any shortage.

The DIG security will raise manpower of at least 1,000 police officers out of his security units by withdrawing a portion of manpower deployed for guard and personal security. This manpower will be subsequently utilised for the security of main departmental stores in order to ensure smooth supplies of daily-use items to public. The DIG South will coordinate with the MS of the police hospital at the Garden Headquarters for the creation of an isolation ward. He will contact Dr Bari of the Indus Hospital to arrange 1,000 coronavirus kits against a payment to test police officers who are suspected to be infected with the virus.

Memon said the police would improve its intelligence network to check hoarding, and enhance their community engagement to help the public by providing all relevant assistance, something it displayed during the last rain emergency.