LAHORE: The newly-established Crime Control Department (CCD) Punjab on the pattern of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has triggered a set of legal and administrative controversies for getting powers to lodge FIRs and investigate the cases, the functions that operations and investigation wings of police are discharging under the police rules.

The department was reportedly set up without amendments to the CrPC and PPC, leaving loopholes that can be challenged before the court of law anytime for not meeting legal requirements.

An official, privy to the development, said that some powerful circles were apparently in a hurry to the extent that they suggested establishing the abovementioned department `just by insertingArticle 18 C` into the Police Order 2002, leaving the legal requirements pending for the next phase. He said the initiative has clipped the wings of all the city and district police officers of the province, mainly of Lahore police, as the CCD was allowed to deal with 13 categories of heinous crimes. They included kidnap for ransom, extortion, robbery, robbery with murder, robbery with rape, vehicle theft, burglary, trafficking of narcotics/drugs, rape, action against land mafia and gangs involved in crime against property etc.

As the CCD was made operational across Punjab with the powers of registration of FIRs and investigation, the official said, many senior police officers believed that it would clash with the jurisdiction of both operations and investigation wings of Punjab Police for discharging the same major functions under the given rules.

It is yet unclear as to how the new department would deal with the investigation of the cases and submit challans to the court of law when the amendments to the rules were yet to be made.

There are also reports that the differences between the officers of the CCD and the other wings may develop over the jurisdiction issues in the comingdays. Despite feeling the heat of the new department, most of the police officers, including Punjab Police chief, remain tight-lipped as they feared that `a senior police officer` behind the scheme has assumed greater importance in the CM`s Secretariat and any adverse remark may irk him and the power circles, the official source said.

Sharing the background of the initiative, the official said the CCD was raised merely on the basis of an `indoor briefing` given by a senior police officer who had a record of `extrajudicial decisions` during his previous postings in Punjab as he believed in `eliminating the criminals rather the crime`.

In the police circles, the official said, the CCD was being taken as a `death squad,` keeping in view his previous record. According to the source, a new spate of `police encounters` may start across the province as the CCD has created a specific wing called `special unit for monitoring of the offenders released from the jails/prisons`.

Similarly, the department would also run an extradition cell, sex offenders monitoring unit, head money cell, criminal record office and proclaimed offenders/court absconders cell.

The official further said the seniorcommand of Punjab Police was not taken on board in the consultation process before launching the new department.

About its organigram, he said, initially, the government has created over 4,260 positions for the CCD Punjab across the province. It has appointed Sohail Zafar Chatha as additional IG CCD Punjab and issued a notification in this respect. The department will have three DIGs, including DIG Operations and DIGs investigation, besides 10 SSPs 13 SPs and 47 DSPs and 4,250 corporals.

It will operate region-wise which will be headed by the police officers of the SSP and SP ranks. The department will be structured to ensure distribution of manpower based on ranks and responsibilities, according to the documents.

The total human resource strength will be allocated across different categories, with a focus on investigative expertise, operational efficiency, and strategic leadership. All the officers posted in the CCD will receive a special allowance, similar to the CTD. The secret fund will be allocated for intelligence gathering, informers, and undercover operations just as it happens in the Special Branch.