LAHORE: The newly formed Crime Control Department (CCD) of Punjab has begun the recruitment of 4,000 personnel as part of the plan to make the force operationalacrossthe province.

This was announced by Additional CCD Inspector General Sohail Zafar Chattha during a meeting on Sunday to review the department`s progress.

The meeting was chaired by Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar and attended by senior officers, including the additional IGs for welfare and finance, several DIGs and SSPs. Lahore police chief Bilal Siddique Kamyana, additional IG of south Punjab, as well as RPOs, CPOs and DPOs, joined the meeting via video link.

The meeting was convened following the approval of the CCD Ordinance and discussed various aspects of setting up the new department, including staffing, logistics, terms of reference and administrative planning.

Mr Chattha said the CCD will specifically target hardened criminals involved in serious crimes across Punjab.

IG Anwar acknowledged the challenges ahead but expressed confidence in the success of the department. He said RPOs and DPOs are already contributing by providing human resources, office space, vehicles and other logistical support to get the CCD off the ground.

He added that funds have been approved and the recruitment process for 4,000 personnel is now under way in phases.

Procurement of transport, office furniture and other equipment will also begin soon, while locations are being identified for the CCD`s police stations.

The department will be equipped with a criminal database, surveillance and monitoring systems, advanced tracking tools and modern IT infrastructure. Personnel will be expected to deliver efficient and timely results.

The CCD will be tasked with cracking down on major drug dealers, hardened criminals and those operating in no-go areas. It will also be responsible for ensuring the arrest and prosecution of suspects involved in kidnapping for ransom, extortion, robbery, robbery-cum-murder and robbery-cum-rape cases.

Other targets include curbing vehicle theft, tackling the land mafia, targeting inter-provincial criminal gangs, and improving coordination between districts for crime prevention.

The IG said all units of Punjab police must strengthen coordination to effectively counter terrorism, maintain law and order, and curb criminal activity across the province.