Pindi seeks robust security

The Rawalpindi police authorities have ordered their field officers to start working on comprehensive security plans for all polling stations ahead of the Feb 8 elections.

Directives have been issued to identify venues for the establishment of effective security clusters at the polling station level and locate all sensitive places that require the deployment of the Pakistan Army, the Pakistan Rangers (Punjab), and the Quick Response Force (QRF).

Sources told The Express Tribune that the directives were issued through an official correspondence with the field police units.

Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Khalid Hamdani has recently sent a letter in this regard to SSP Operations Hafiz Kamran, SSP Investigation Zunaira Azfar, divisional SPs, SDPOs and SHOs of Rawal, Pothohar, Saddar and Kohsar divisions.

Per the letter, police have also been advised to provide the required strength of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the polling stations that fall in the ambit of the highly sensitive and sensitive category (category A). A total of 580 polling stations in Rawalpindi and Murree have been placed in category A, 978 in category B, and 1,219 in category C.

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The letter states that Sub-divisional Police Officers (SDPOs) and Station House Officers (SHOs) will stay in touch with Returning Officers (ROs) and Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) of their respective areas. The SHO of each police station, under the supervision of their respective SDPOs, will create effective location-wise clusters of polling stations and will send details to the Security Branch.

Similarly, all SHOs have been advised to pinpoint the most sensitive points at the police station level for the deployment of the Pakistan Army, Rangers, or QRF. Moreover, the SHO of each police station has been advised to provide the required number of CCTV cameras in the polling stations under their respective police station’s jurisdiction.

Furthermore, the police officers have also been directed to complete the identification of important locations where police pickets are required in connection with the elections and the polling day. The police officers have further been asked to ensure that the reserve police force, and other law- enforcement agencies are kept on standby at the police station level.

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The field police have also been advised to regularly update the Central Police Office about public and corner meetings of candidates and political representatives. SHOs are required to get surety bonds from the organizers of political gatherings and corner meetings for arranging security and implementing security standard operating procedures (SOPs).

The letter states that the police deployment would be ensured at the designated place for containing polling material and that the polling station staff would be bound to carry and bring back the polling material. The police officer concerned would ensure obtaining the DVRs of the CCTV cameras installed at all the polling stations included in the A category. Additionally, police will be responsible for maintaining security on the outer cordon at all sensitive places. Similarly, the polling material will be the responsibility of the concerned SHO and SDPO.

According to the Rawalpindi CPO, each police officer must report for duty on time and with diligence. Strict departmental action will be taken against cops who are found negligent in the discharge of their duty. Similarly, police officials have been ordered to submit the daily report of every event in writing.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2024.