Zubair Qureshi
The Islamabad Capital Territory Police (ICTP) continues to maintain regular interaction with journalists and media persons aiming to disseminate timely and fact-based news as well as getting first hand feedback/information from the media regarding its performance, shortcomings etc.
One such interaction took place on Monday when the ICTP organized a session ‘Policing and Journalism’ organized by the Islamabad police at the Police Lines. Crime reporters from renowned media organizations and senior police officers attended the session.
Welcoming the crime reporters at the interactive session, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan highlighted the crucial role of journalism in societal improvement and maintaining law and order and peace in society.
He stressed the importance of news being based on truth, especially when related to the police, to prevent the spread of baseless and fake news.
Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan further stated that the establishment of a Public Relations Branch within Islamabad Capital Police whose basic values are timely and factual news aimed to maintain the best coordination with journalists and promptly convey accurate information to the public.
He urged the journalists to include the police’s perspective while publishing news related to police, to ensure that citizens can avoid baseless and false reports. Our work is simply impossible without your support and fair reporting, he said. “We have always disseminated news based on facts and operating within a structured framework,” said the IGP acknowledging the vital role journalists play in police operations against criminal elements.
IftikharShirazi Bureau Chief of Dawn News highlighted the element of coordination between media and police. The nature of job of both the journalists and the police is almost identical: One is there to point out the crime in society while the other is to eradicate/bust it.
Shirazi said it would be better to reduce the gap or trust deficit between the two and the police should keep crime reporters in the loophole before or immediately after an action. This would serve to disseminate timely information, he said.
He also called for frequent visits/internships of crime reporters to police stations so that they could understand the police working and environment of the police stations. Their feedback can help police improve the working of police stations and make them more public-friendly, he said. He commended the IGP and senior police officers for organizing such a useful interactive session with media persons.
During the session, journalists asked questions and raised issues, the majority of which was related to police behavior and lack of response to journalists’ calls. Moreover, different aspects of Islamabad Police’s daily operations and various dimensions of public communication and publicity were also discussed.
