FAISALABAD: Deployment of a terminated police constable and a volunteer at the police picket where two innocent students were gunned down, has not only exposed the poor supervision of their subordinates by senior officials but also the shortage of personnel available for such duties.

It has been revealed in a police inquiry that the picket in Millat Town police jurisdiction where the killings occurred was manned by a sacked police constable, Faisal and a police volunteer, Waqas, despite the fact that deploying of volunteers at pickets was banned.

Faisalabad city has scores of senior police officers, including SSP (operations), SSP (investigation), five SPs of as many divisions -- Lyallpur, Madina, Iqbal, Jaranwala and Saddar -- besides an SP of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA).

All the divisions have been divided into various circles being supervised by the sub-divisional police officers (SDPOs). Besides the station house officers (SHOs), all the SPs and the SDPOs are supervisory officers, who are supposed to monitor their subordinates in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

However, sources in the department say that most of these supervisory officers prefer to depend on reports filed by their staff instead of personally doing the job by going in the field.

The sources say that frequent field visits by these supervisory officers could help check deployment of unauthorised people, including sacked policemen and volunteers, at the pickets.

They say that the beat in charges routinely use volunteers at pickets to mint money from motorists and motorcyclists and in case of inspection by senior officers or any complaint, such persons are used as scapegoats.

Following the killing of Arsalan and Usman at the picket on Aug 8, the policemen, including assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Javeed Akhtar, Faisal, Waqas, head-constables Asghar Ali and Falak Sher were booked by the Millat Town police.

However, no action has so far been taken against the Millat Town SHO who failed to monitor his subordinates who deployed a terminated policeman and a volunteer at the picket.

A police officer seeking anonymity said SHOs used volunteers at pickets because of shortage of the force at their disposal.

He admitted that complaints had been received that police volunteers had been checking vehicles and frisking people by raising pickets on their own, without any orders by senior officers, to mint money.

He said such practices bring a bad name for police department.

The officer said it was sheer negligence of the SHOs concerned who failed to monitor their subordinates.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2018