Police see new law as DMG move to grab powers
 

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri][I]LAHORE, Jan 10:[/I] Final draft of the Punjab Police Act 2010, which is going to replace the Police Order 2002 soon, is likely to be submitted to the Punjab government in a week, Dawn has learnt. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Police officers have apprehensions about the proposed act, which they see as a fresh move by the District Management Group (DMG) to play with the Police Department. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]After being approved by the provincial assembly, the new act would once again put the police under the watch of the administrative machinery instead of district nazims, subject to approval of the draft Local Government Act 2010. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]After the expiry of Police Order 2002 from Sixth Schedule of the Constitution on Dec 31, 2009, the provinces are free to either continue the order in the same spirit or amend it according to their own requirements. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]A committee headed by Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, at a meeting a few days ago, formed a sub-committee headed by Adviser to Chief Minister on Law and Order Jehanzeb Burki to prepare final draft of the act. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]A draft of the Police Act 2010 was earlier prepared by the Police Act Drafting Committee, Central Police Office, Lahore on Dec 4, 2009 and was circulated to senior police officials for feedback. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]The draft prepared by the police recommends investigation of all registered cases under the supervision of the officer in-charge of the police station (SHO) instead of the investigation in-charge. In consequence, the investigation wing separated from the operations wing under the Police Order 2002 will be eliminated. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Another recommendation is to set up a criminal investigation agency headed by an SP in each district for the investigation of special report cases as determined by the provincial police officer. Another recommendation calls for formation of a district police council and provincial police council to redress people’s grievances and monitor public complaints. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Police officers have criticised the government for reviving the old system. [/FONT][/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Also, a debate has begun among police officers about DMG’s ‘move’ to get powers under the magistracy system and right to writing ACRs of police officers. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Senior police officials say the old magistracy system, if implemented in the light of the Local Government Act 2010, would not only affect policing, but also create a tussle among district administrations and police officers. Sources privy to police reforms told Dawn that DMG officers asked the chief minister to empower them with certain (fine) powers and right to writing ACRs of police officials under the previous magistracy system. They said that police officers, who were representing the department in the reforms process, would take up the matter with a committee headed by Sirdar Zulfiqar Khosa in a few days. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Police officials have the impression that DMG officers want to get the ‘outdated and obsolete’ executive magistracy system revived instead of implementing the ‘modern policing system’. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Police officials believe DMG’s ‘move’ is not the result of any public demand, but the desire of only one group of officers. They say that re placing an elected nazim with a ‘government officer’ as an evaluator of police officers’ performance will be seen as an undemocratic step. Police officers should be supervised by elected representatives and not by revenue officials. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]It would cause friction and confrontation at district and division level (between DPOs and DCOs) and affect the law and order. All south Asian countries are getting rid of this ‘outdated’ system and modernising their policing system. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]A senior police officer said the elimination of investigation wing and unity of command from SHO to the higher level would affect the policing as a whole. [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Calibri][SIZE=3]Burki, who heads the subcommittee on Police Act 2010, told Dawn that the draft prepared by the police drafting committee was being examined and it would be presented before the Police Act 2010 committee in a week for final consideration. He dispelled the impression that DMG officers sought any magistracy powers and right to writing ACRs in the draft local government act, saying the draft discussed powers under magistrates, but it had yet to be decided that who would be the appointing authority.[/SIZE][/FONT]

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