Police reforms in AJK
AZAD Jammu and Kashmir is a peaceful society having the lowest rate of crime. AJK is divided into ten districts and three divisions and total number of police to combat and control crime is around eight thousand and total number of crime is around ten thousand FIRs per year.
When it is compared with any other part of Pakistan, this number of crime is very low which indicates that AJK has a very peaceful society.
Since AJK has a low rate in crime and total police is less than any big district of Pakistan, it is very easy to introduce reforms in police and it can be presented anywhere as a model police.
The new Inspector General of Police Dr. Sohail Habib Tajik, who had been on very important assignments in Punjab, Pakistan and even in UN-Mission, has that resolve to make this police a model police for rest of Pakistan.
Dr. Tajik has taken the route of information and communication technology (ICT) that we can ensure better service delivery and prevention and detection of crime with the maximum utilization of these technologies.
First of all, he established a comprehensive IT-Wing at Central Police Office (CPO) in Muzaffarabad having a team of young IT experts.
These young IT experts have been given certain tasks of running the new IT-based projects such as an elaborate system of “Complaint Redressal System” (CRS).
You can access AJK police by using any medium of social media; Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or any other emergency helpline and can register your complaint(s) which will be shown on single dashboard of CRS.
Complainant is informed about his concerned SDPO along with his contact number through an automatically generated message and vice versa. The officer concerned has to respond back in given time otherwise he himself will be in trouble.
This is functioning efficiently. Secondly, Dr. Tajik has introduced a “Digital Sentinel System” containing E-Police Post (EPP) and Identity Verification Alert System (IVAS).
These are the most modern systems for the detection and apprehension of the criminals. These systems are connected with 3.1 million criminal data base and whosoever’s CNIC is swapped through these devices, it pops up the name and the offense if there is any criminal.
These are placed at entry points and hustling areas of AJK. This Digital Sentinel System is giving miraculous results such as an accused Sardar Muhammad Jahangir Khan who had murdered five members of a family and two passerbies in Dera Sain Niamat of Narowal back in 2002.
An FIR under sections of ATA and 302 of PPC was registered against him. However, he remained a proclaimed offender for around 18 years and finally he was detected by this Digital Sentinel System and was apprehended and handed over to Narowal police.
Dr. Tajik has introduced another system named as “Madadgar” the helper. This system is a unique in its own form.
“Madadgar” is a system according to which he has fixed cameras along with a “Panic-button” in police stations.
Through cameras everyone who comes to Police Station is monitored and whosoever is misbehaved or asked for financial gains in the Police Station can press this “Panic-button” and connect himself with IGP through a video call.
Police Station used to be a blind spot and now it is being properly monitored under this system of Madadgar. This needs to be implemented across Pakistan. Apart from this system, there is another system of “WhatsApp Video Calling”.
IGP takes the complainant on a video call along with the concerned police officer of all ranks and after listening the complainant passes the directions to the officer to resolve the issue of complaint within no time.
All these technology-based reforms are being introduced with the help of government as the government of AJK has conceded the approval for the establishment of “safe cities” in Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot and Mirpur and Police Khidmat Marakaz in every district of AJK.
First safe city of AJK has been established in Muzaffarabad and first Police Khidmat Markaz has also been established in Muzaffarabad. Now, safe cities and Police Khidmat Marakaz are being established in the rest of the districts.
Apart from these safe cities and Police Khidmat Marakaz, a first ever “Woman Police Station” has also been established in Rawalakot and Dr.Tajik is determined to establish two more in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad in the coming days.
AJK police was lacking Forensic Laboratory of its own and with the help of the government of AJK Dr. Tajik has got the approval of AJK Forensic Laboratory at Arja, district Bagh and it will be completed and inaugurated by the end of June this year.
These are certain information and communication technology-based reforms that have been introduced in AJK and these are giving phenomenal results and rest assured if these technology-based reforms are also replicated in Pakistan we can expect that police would deliver in such a way as it has never been delivered before.
—The writer is Assistant Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarabad, AJK.
