By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Capital Cops have decided to start a Community Engagement Program (Raabta) to enhance liaison with people from various walks of life and effectively resolve their issues after approaching them. Following the directions of IGP Islamabad Qazi Jamil-ur-Rehman, a comprehensive program has been chalked out to approach public, understand their issues related to police and resolve them on immediate basis.
As par the plan, all police officials would conduct meetings with general public, religious scholars, traders, minority members, administrators of Masajid while interactions would be made with students of educational institutions, seminaries and members of Public Conciliatory Committees (PCCs). The feedback on police related matters would be noted and issues would be resolved through mutual cooperation.
SSP Operations, Zonal SPs, SDPOs would regularly conduct these meetings while media and representatives of Bar Associations would be also engaged by these police officials. Police officials would visit mosques at prayers timings especially of Friday prayers for productive and useful interactions with people. The visiting officers would articulate their views succinctly but comprehensively before the audience and ensure people to resolve police related issues through their cooperation.
To make all these interactions result oriented, all the meetings would be recorded and comprehensive minutes to be issued. Police said the purpose of all such meetings is to engage the public, understand their problems and resolve them. AIG (Operations) will follow up on all the decisions made in these meetings and to ensure compliance by all subordinate offices. A detailed report of all such meetings will be submitted to the Central Police Office, Islamabad on 5th of every month.
These meetings would provide an opportunity to cultivate partnership with law abiding and peaceful citizens. All out efforts would be made to engage people from all walks of life and serious efforts to be ensured to resolve their issues as promptly as possible. The IGP Islamabad Qazi Jamil-ur-Rehman and DIG Operations Afzaal Ahmed Kausar has emphasized the need to enhance coordination with people and ensure community engagement as the essence of modern policing.
Such interactions identify and solve community problems, helps crime control and bridges the gap between community and police. Community policing also breaks down the barriers of apathy and distrust between police and community. Reinvigorating general public and different segments of society helps Police to achieve its primary objectives; i.e. crime prevention, detection and maintenance of law & order.
