ISLAMABAD: The capital police department has been allocated Rs8 million for investigation of different cases in the budget of the upcoming financial year even though it requires Rs119.8 million, a senior police officer told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

He said Rs3.2 million had been set aside in the outgoing budget for investigation which was utilised four months before the end of the financial year.

In March, the police approached the interior ministry for a supplementary grant of Rs30 million but received no funds. The officer said the 22 police stations in the capital spent Rs25m on the investigation of different cases using other resources.

Police stations spend over Rs25m on investigation of cases by using other sources, says senior officer

Due to the shortage of funds, most of the expenses on investigations had to be borne by the complainants.

He said the police stations needed about Rs119.8m for investigations.

According to the standard operating procedure (SOP), Rs19,800 are fixed as the investigation cost of a murder case. But these days at least Rs104,000 are spent on a murder case and the cost increases further if the investigators need to go outside the city for raids or arrest of a suspect.

There are only three draftsmen to draw a crime scene map who charges Rs20,000 to Rs50,000 per case.” Besides, Rs15,000 are spent on a DNA test.

Similarly, Rs12,400 are fixed as the cost of investigation in an attempted murder case but at present its investigation needs over Rs65,400.

The existing cost of investigation of a hurt case is Rs10,400 but it actually consumes over Rs49,700.

Likewise, Rs2,600 are fixed for the investigation of a kidnapping and rape case, Rs700 for a fatal and non-fatal accident. But Rs8,500 are needed for a kidnapping and rape investigation and Rs6,500 for an accident case.

These official rates were fixed in 2011 and since then they have not been revised, the officer added.

Funds for investigation or cost of investigation are not mentioned in the Police Rules 1934 under which the capital police are still working, another police officer said.

The capital police released Rs50,000 for each police station as a cost of investigation first in 2010 and then in 2011.

In 2015, the police suggested increasing the cost of investigation in crime against person and crime against property but the increase was not given to the department due to shortage of funds.

An amount of Rs9,700 is fixed as the cost of investigation of robbery case, Rs4,000 for burglary, Rs4,700 for theft and Rs16,500 for vehicle theft cases.

But at present Rs45,200 are required for the investigation of a robbery case, Rs16,500 for burglary, Rs30,200 for theft, Rs44,500 for vehicle theft.

When contacted, Inspector General of Police Dr Sultan Azam Temuri said Rs100,000 were given to each of the police stations as the cost of investigation and after its utilisation the police stations demand more funds.

There are hurdles in the reimbursement so the investigation officers avoided submitting the bills as most of the time they did not get the full payment, he added.

The IGP said the amount of Rs100,000 was given to each police station in advance to curb corruption and improve the investigation.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2018