PESHAWAR: Though a process of accountability is underway in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police to make the department truly professional and service oriented, the recent arrest of policemen over the kidnapping for ransom suggests there is a dire need for regular surveys to know about the conduct of other personnel before their appointment to sensitive positions.

In the second week of current month, three elite force personnel were arrested during a raid on a house in the limits of Khazana police station on the outskirts of Peshawar from where two kidnapped businessmen were recovered, so police cannot be totally cleared of the charges of abetment in the crimes.

According to a relevant official, all arrested policemen were given duties of very serious nature and at the time of raid, they have opened fire on police in order to evade arrest.

The weaknesses and negligence on part of policemen can be judged from the fact that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Nasir Khan Durrani has suspended around 350 police personnel of different ranks for one reason or the other and some of them have been charged in criminal cases.

However, the process has been initiated on public complaints, while there is no internal process for checking routine of policemen to ascertain if they are still loyal to the department or have developed nexus with anti-state and anti-social elements.The official said a pair of police uniform, a jeep with siren, and a wireless set had also been recovered from them and that they were sent on judicial remand.

“Now, it is up to the judiciary and police department to either exonerate the personnel of the charges or punish them.”

It is not the first case of its kind.

There are many instances of the police’s highhandedness and the real situation can easily be judged from complaints against police.

There are also reports that during the war on terrorism, some policemen had developed relations with banned outfits and therefore, they always tried to get posted to checkpoints close to areas bordering tribal areas.

For police bosses, the frequent news conferences at local press clubs by people in distress are enough to take action against the policemen charged with abusing powers and abetting criminals.

The officials also admit that there are several cases of police caught supporting criminals, including land grabbers, car snatchers and blackmailers. However, the faulty system let most of them off the hook.

It is learnt that many suspended policemen manage to secure previous positions due to strong contacts with influential people.

“No body can deny the fact that in many cases, the police are found hand in glove with influential people and force poor litigants to settle their disputes out of court to prevent their (police’s) anger,” he said.

Besides the cops’ involvement in crimes, the performance of the police’s investigation department is also very poor. There are complaints that the challan (charge sheets) are not submitted to the relevant courts on time and that the victims of police’s excesses are pressured to make a compromise with rival parties.Instead of fulfilling their official duties, investigators misuse their influence for monetary benefits and therefore support the rich people.

According to the official, a live example in this respect is the recent murder of cleric brothers Abdul Wadood and Ishaq Faqir by elder brother and former Senator Abdur Rehman.

“My father and uncle were gunned down by my uncle with the help of his son, Imdadullah, in Chamkani but the investigation officer has yet to submit the charge sheet to the court for action,” said one of the children of slain brothers.

The children said police had slowed down the investigation process forcing them to resolve the case through a jirga of elders.

They said the families of the two were pressured to accept compensation and help release the former senator from the central prison of Peshawar.

“Our uncle Abdur Rehman is threatening us from the jail but police are reluctant to provide us with necessary protection and register another FIR against the accused for sending us threats from the prison,” the child said.

The two children, who were handed over the supervision of a local seminary after the murder of their fathers, said they could not move freely due to the threats and police negligence.

However, investigation officer Aqil Shah rejected the allegations and said the complainants were not cooperating to get their statements recorded.

“We have contacted complainants several times but they even refused to come to the police station for completion of investigation process,” he said.

When contacted, Peshawar SSP (Operations) Najeebur Rehman said the survey about the conduct of policemen was impossible in the prevailing situation as police were in war with terrorists and the personnel had to do prolonged duties.

He said the internal accountability system existed through the inquiry and inspection process and therefore, some 350 people were suspended during the last few months as result of complaints against them.

The SSP said the war on terrorism had complicated issues and officials didn’t have sufficient time to hold personnel accountable for acts.

He, however, said he had no information about policemen having any relation with banned militants groups and that sacrifices of around 800 policemen were a live example of their devotion to duty and loyalty to the land.

Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani has repeatedly warned policemen to follow the discipline and do duties fairly or face legal action.

He said there was no place in the police department for those violating rules and committing wrongdoings and that the action was taken across the board without keeping in view their ranks and seniority.