Hike in budget for police demanded

Islamabad : Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) on Wednesday urged the federal and provincial governments to increase the budget of the police to improve their professional capability by facilitating them at all levels.

Police, which was on the forefront to stem coronavirus spread and maintain the law and order in the country, should be facilitated by fulfilling their basic needs, said a press release issued by the SSDO on Sunday.

It says that the resource allocation to police was not at par with their responsibilities which hampered their performance. The issue should be addressed at the earliest by the federal and provincial governments to improve police efficiency.

“The police always play the role of a front-line soldier in the national crises and sacrificed their lives during such crises but the facilities provided to the police are insufficient,” said SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas while talking to media.

“There is a need to increase the upcoming budget for the police and address their needs to increase their efficiency in performing their duties during COVID-19 and as well as securing the people by controlling the crime.”

He said that the Station House Officers (SHOs) were required to be empowered in utilizing their budget at the local police station level to achieve positive results. “The funds for the investigation officers also needed to be addressed to increase its allocation to investigate the crimes in the police stations,” he said, adding that this would help in reducing corruption at the local level and the beneficiaries of these funds will be the citizen who is running through any case.