Active community participation imperative to improve system of policing

Minister for Interior, Ahsan Iqbal Thursday emphasized that system of policing could not be improved without active participation of community, saying reforms are being introduced to make Islamabad police an exemplary for others.
He was addressing a concluding session of a two-day Police Media Training Workshop organised here at National Police Academy in collaboration with International Narcotics and Law Enforcement- Pakistan (INL-P).
The idea of community policing should be materialized while benefiting from state-of-the-art technology. The basic objective is to make capital police a smart police through capacity building courses and adopting innovation, he said.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Islamabad, Sultan Azam Taimuri, Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Commandant National Police Academy, officers and officials of Islamabad police and media-persons attended the concluding session of the workshop which was aimed at building capacity of police officers in engaging with journalists.
He said arranging training courses of Islamabad police with lectures from national and international experts on communication skills and modern policing was a good step to improve professional conduct of police.
He directed the police department to ensure people friendly attitude and pursue zero tolerance on all crimes. He said model police station project in federal capital was being expedited and it would be made exemplary for the rest of provinces with sole objective to facilitate common people.
Ahsan Iqbal said first batch of Anti-Riot Unit (ARU) of Islamabad Police, comprising 586 personnel to deal with protests and sit-ins in Federal Capital, has been established. The first batch of Rapid Response Force which has been imparted training to keep them abreast with security challenges, would also be rolled out soon.
Special leadership course for SHOs was also being arranged in Islamabad, he said, adding that a reward system for SHO, Junior Officer and Jawans of the month has been introduced. The policemen exhibiting outstanding performance would be given cash prizes.
The Minister said role of police in society was of prime importance as no country could progress without improved law and order. “Peace is very much important for development as is oxygen necessary for human life,” he said.
Ahsan Iqbal said police were not only doing its own duty but also playing a vital role in development of the country.
Ahsan Iqbal said police vehicles were being equipped with modern gadgets and deployment of additional staff being ensured so that monitoring system under safe city project could be further strengthened.
The Minister appreciated the organizers for arranging the training workshop and said it would help in enhancing communication skills of police officers.
IGP, Sultan Azam Taimuri, INL representative, journalists including Hamid Mir and Umer Cheema also addressed the ceremony.
On the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal awarded certificates to workshop participants.
A participant said that it was the best part of their training to interact with media and they had learnt a lot from it, which, he added, would be helpful for them in their professional life. He said that they were briefed about media and how to liaison with them during normal and crisis situations.

Source: APP