RAWALPINDI: In line with the Punjab government’s decision to expand the Dolphin Force from Lahore to other major cities, the Rawalpindi police have submitted a summary to the provincial authorities seeking an estimated budget of Rs2286.172 million for the launch of the force.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Ameer Ahdullah Niazi, who headed a police team to prepare the summary, told Dawn that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had directed to launch the Dolphin Force in Rawalpindi.

The force was recently launched in Lahore on the pattern of the Turkish police. He said the summary detailing the estimated budget, manpower, transport and arms needed for the launch of the force had been sent to the provincial government for approval. As soon as the budget is approved, the selection of personnel for the force would start.

Read: Dolphin Force: Punjab government's white elephant?

The new police unit will be tasked with checking street crime but will not be authorised to register a case against criminals even after their arrest.

The Dolphin Force will comprise 1,200 constables, one superintendent, four DSP/ASP, 15 inspectors, 33 ASIs and 166 head constables. Of the total budget demanded by the police, Rs 260 million will be required for the purchase of 200 heavy bikes of 500CC each, the SP said.

The Dolphin Force personnel will be stationed at 20 police stations of three divisions of the district – Rawal, Potohar and Saddar. As many as 25 teams, each consisting of two motorcycles with four officers, will patrol every division in shifts.

The command and control centre of the force will be headed by the SP; however, the selection of the site for the establishment of the centre is yet to be made. The new police force will work under the command of the city police officer (CPO).

A special uniform has been designed for the patrolling officers who would be equipped with wireless radio sets, small arms and handcuffs.

They will also be provided with the Global Positioning System (GPS) and a tracking system which will be connected to the central control room.

In Lahore, 25 police officers were trained for two months in Turkey and upon their return they imparted training to 1,200 constables selected for the Dolphin Force.

A senior police official said after the failure of Muhafiz Force and other patrolling models, the new police unit was being formed in Rawalpindi to check street crime which he believed would only be wastage of public money.

When contacted, Dr Shoaib Suddle, who has a vast experience of policing and served in top positions in Sindh and Balochistan, told Dawn that it was not a bad idea to set up specialised police units when the crime trend had changed in society. But launching new police units only to check street crime is not a right approach, he added. He was of the opinion that street crime fell in a different category which needed an improvement in the basic unit of policing which was the police station.

“The best approach for checking street crime is the introduction of a safe city concept, install CCTV cameras and use other modern gadgets to monitor criminals besides bringing reforms in police stations,” Dr Suddle added.

“Bring reforms at the police station level if street crime is to be controlled,” Dr Suddle said, adding the more specialised police units would be introduced, the harder it would be to manage them.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2016