LAHORE: A comprehensive report sent to the chief minister by the Punjab police has pointed out a plethora of problems that have `plagued the functioning/performance` of the largestpoliceforcein the country.

The report points out impediments faced by the police department in its day-to-day operations.

Besides, it carries an analysis in the field of available financial/ human resource, transport/ equipment, estate management, and its comparison with neighbouring countries and international community. It also reports decline in operating funds as one of the major factors hampering the performance of the Punjab police.

The Central Police Office complains to the chief minister that the comparison of last 10-year police budget share in overall provincial budget of Punjab reveals a declining trend from nineper cent in 2011-12 to a meager 5pc in 2019-20.

It states that the operating budget of the Punjab police in 2016-17 was 22.6% of its total budget which has seen a drastic reduction and has reached an abysmally low percentage of 15.5% during the current financial year 201920.

`This tendency of operating funds has not only worsened the functioning of the department but has also taken heavy toll on the operational capability of the Punjab police,` reads the report.

The report appears at a time when the Punjab police are facing strong criticism for the sharp increase in the crime rate particularly in Lahore.

Inspector General of Police Shoaib Dastagir who had assigned task to the expert police officers to document the report dispatched it to Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in the form of a summary for consideration.

`The comparison of budgetary allocation for various police organisations in developing and developed world reveals that per capita spending per annum for the population of Punjab isonly $6.43 whereas spending under the same head for Indian Punjab comes to $15.9, Maharashtra state $21, Turkey $135 and Metropolitan Police London spends $754, reads the report.

The Central Police Office (CPO) in the report laments that this comparison depicts that the Punjab police lag behind in the region as well as international per capita spending on policing.

The proportionate spending outlay on the Punjab police department has significantly reduced with the passage of time.

`The operational budget is the soul and essence of any department to ensure completion of their assigned duties/functions in a timely and methodical manner.

`As the result of a study carried out by the CPO, minimum operational expenditure for a police station has been precisely worked out, reads the report.

It further states that during the current financial year 2019-20, Rs4.6 billion were allocated to meet the operational expenditure whereas minimal requirement of operationalfunds for 717 police stations comes to Rs8.6 billion. An annual deficit of Rs4 billion exists which needs to be recouped/enhanced till the coming financial years, the CPO demands.

During 2019, a total of 490,341 FIRs were lodged in all police stations across the province; however funds amounting to Rs257.4 million have been allocated as cost of investigation during the current financial year. Thus, the cost of investigation per case comes to mere Rs525 only which is neither tenable nor justihedunder any criteria, states the report.

It is unjust to expect quality investigations within these resources provided to investigating ofñcers. In order to put it on record, the police department has launched special initiatives from within the allocated budget despite the availability of meager resources to improve the thana culture and provide betterfacilities to the public.

The department has spent Rs96 million for 50 Special Initiative Police Stations in the current year that were recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Mianwali.

Similarly, Rs300 million were spent forestablishment of Police Khidmat Markaz (centres) in the 36 districts of Punjab where different services were provided to more than four million people under one roof in one year.

Likewise, an expenditure on the current international cricket matches in Lahore and Rawalpindi is also being borne by the department from within the current financial year budgetary allocation, the CPO reports.

There are eight police training institutions in Punjab to impart the practical and theoretical training in various fields of policing.

At present, only Rs67,000 per trainee per year is being allocated to the police department which is quite low as compared to the international training standards and needs to be enhanced.

The IGP Punjab has demanded more funds and other resources in order to meet the growing needs of the force to improve its performance as per the vision of the prime minister.

-ASIF CHAUDHRY