Saddar police station, Gojra:

The first police-public session of the quarter was held on 6th October 2011 within the jurisdiction of Saddar police station, in Toba Tek Singh district at Zee Goo Hotel, Gojra.

Around 60 people attended this session, out of which 52 were registered participants. Several speakers, along with most of the station’s officials, attended this session as well. Following are some of the key points discussed in the event.

Mr Muhammad Aslam, Inspector Investigation, started off the session by saying that the public was right to be disgusted by the institution since there were ample examples of aggressive, corrupt and unprofessional police officials. He stood in front of the participants and declared that he had never been part of any corruption during his 28-year investigation record. However, he said that FIR reporting had its demerits and they needed to be removed. He said that his task was to read the FIR and provide a fair investigation report on the basis of incidental factors and evidence while the decision was to be taken by the judiciary. He also said that unfortunately hardworking police officers did not get their due because of the interference of other corrupt officials. 
He said he was delighted to be there in front of a qualified public and thankful to the Rural Development Organisation (RDO) and Transparency International Pakistan, especially ALAC, for a nice session like this. “We have to do lot of work in order to change the policemen’s attitudes and restore the public’s reliance on them. He also requested the public to help them during their investigations by coming forward as a witness and helping them with the necessary information.

Jawad Tariq, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), appreciated the initiative taken by ALAC and Transparency International Pakistan and said that this is one of the most efficient ways the police and the public can understand each other and fight against corruption together. He said that the DPO and DCO Toba Tek Singh have a keen interest in this program and want its implementation to extend to all the police stations of the district. He said that the police are functioning to safeguard the public. He said that a policeman approaches various places where incidents are reported; these include incidents of terrorism, confrontations, battles etc or any other incidents that may disturb the peace and quiet of a community. On the other hand, he adds, that all other departments wind up their work before sunset. He admits that a lot of black sheep exist in the police departments, but with the passage of time, the role of enhanced education and the enrolment of qualified recruits are making the police department more efficient and less corrupt. He committed before the audience that he always worked for the community, no matter which district he was stationed at.

Muhammad Mohsin, CEO Rural Development Organization (RDO),said that this initiative is designed to put the police and the public together so that they can understand each other. He claimed that as a next step they intended to work against corruption by building a relationship with the traffic police and revenue departments. He said he admired the cooperation of the District Coordination Officer (DCO), District Police Officer (DPO), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), Station House Officers (SHOs), inspectors and sub-inspectors to diffuse the misconception between the police and the public. He said that it was imperative to wheedle out the corrupt black sheep from every police department. He said that the public should also cooperate with the police administration, so that the nuisance of corruption may be eradicated from Pakistan. 

  
Abdul Ghafoor, a teacher, enunciated that killing corruption was the need of the hour. He said that corruption had reached its zenith and soon we would be at a point from which we would not be able to return. He warned that fighting against corruption should not be politicized. Teachers may prove to be the driving force against corruption precisely because of their role. He urged teachers to come forward and help the police rid the society of this evil. He requested teachers to produce a generation, through their teachings, that rejects corruption in any form. He also said that teachers should take special sessions on anti-corruption and educate themselves thoroughly.

Nasir Mehmood Salimi, Program Area Coordinator – Pir Mahal, said that we have to pressurize the ruling entities by spreading the anti-corruption slogan to as many people as possible. This will form a single solid voice of multiple groups and the message will spread far and wide, which will compel the institutional heads to take concrete steps to make this country a better place to live in for everyone.

M.Ahsan Ghulam Nabi, Program Area Coordinator-Gojra, thanked all the participants and explained the unfortunate role of a regular policeman. He said that in spite of their remarkable services, their department is deemed corrupt due to a few bad seeds that are a minority in the department. He committed to sustain this initiative even after the end of the support from ALAC and the RDO. He urged the general public and the authorities to change their ways and thinking before it was too late to do so. 
A question-and-answer session was conducted after these speeches in which the public raised lot of worthwhile questions. ASP (Headquarter) Toba Tek Singh and Inspector Investigation answered the questions in detail and satisfied the participants. A leaflet containing information about the FIR was also handed out to the eager participants.
In the end, a unanimous collaborative commitment was announced by the representatives from both classifications of stakeholders.