KARACHI: Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) came into existence on the initiative of a former governor of Sindh, Justice Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim, to provide an institution for the citizens to redress their grievances in matters pertaining to police and vice-versa.

Initially established on Sept 1, 1989 through a notification of commissioner, it was institutionalized by amending the Police Rule 1.21 as a statutory body in April 1990. Its members were invested with the powers of Justice of Peace (JP), allowing them the authority to interact both with the citizens and the police while assisting victims of crime and upholding the rule of law irrespective of once’s caste, creed, status or wealth.

Since its inception, CPLC has successfully assisted victims of crimes like kidnapping, extortion, terrorism, fraud, harassment, dacoity, trespassing, rape, domestic violence, etc. Without any significant empowerment and financing by the government, it has played a role worthy to be emulated. It proves that it is your own resolve, honesty and integrity which gives strength to serve the people resolutely, earning their love, respect, unstinted support and confidence to carry on the noble task without any fear or favour. It has survived due to its excellent deliverance, apolitical status and integrity, neither asking nor seeking any favours or resorting to any wrong doings or at the behest of those in power.

The excellent efforts by CPLC towards the near eradication of kidnapping for ransom from the city at a time when the citizens felt insecurity due to the menace. The CPLC led the crusade against kidnappers since 1990. It was teamed with a group of military intelligence officers by the then commander of the HQ5 Corps and succeeded in detecting 185 cases by busting 57 gangs and apprehending 167 criminals, within the first five years, out of a total 283 kidnappings to date that have been assisted. Thereafter, with the close coordination of senior police officials, the joint efforts yielded an overall success rate of 80 per cent having now busted nearly 100 gangs and apprehending over 300 criminals. (Sitara-e-Shujaat was conferred upon me and my colleague Mr Nazim F. Haji for bravery, detection and exemplary services rendered to the victims as early as in August 1992.)

The CPLC’s efforts towards initiating the computerization of motor vehicle records in 1992, and introducing official vehicle number plates, as well as developing a new registration book having ample security features and maintaining stolen vehicles data bank, leading to their recoveries from across the country, speaks of its vision and commitment to combat this crime. Concerted efforts by the Excise and Taxation Department with the Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) of Sindh Police have led to the decline of this crime from 4.82 per cent of the total registered vehicles in 1992, to merely 1.37 per cent of the 253,667 vehicles in 2002.

The CPLC, with the assistance of UNDP, is in the final stages of implementing the complete web-based crime management system on a provincial network through a Virtual Private Network (VPN), linking all police stations from their District headquarters, as well as the jails. It would integrate the entire crime and data for expeditious investigation and detection of cases. The development of Spatial Crime analysis would help study crime patterns, analyzing them with respect to the social environment leading to better governance. One of the additional excellent features of this new system is the automated computerized call centre for responding to emergencies, inquiries or information. It is comparable to the most modern facility available to law enforcers in developed countries.

The civil bureaucracy and the police have played a crucial role in strengthening CPLC while encouraging its expansion to the district level in 1993. Unfortunately, since the present setup at that time was not allowed to play a role in nominating members for notification through the governor as per past practice in its expansion to the districts outside Karachi, the institution could not survive or establish its credibility. We must understand that CPLC is not an NGO or a society registered as a charitable trust with its own chosen ideas or field of operations. It is a statutory institution which, however, has in its fold honorary and voluntary members and over 85 per cent of its funding is collected through donations from individuals, corporate, and financial institutions.

It is spent on law enforcement, restoration of human rights, and assisting victims of crime. In light of this, any expansion of CPLC to cover the rest of the province has to be initiated by the state itself.

This further strengthens the need for notifying the charter and an advisory board already thoroughly vetted, approved and recommended by the committee of the provincial government and the governor as early as 1996. It documents the terms of reference, empowerment, tenure, financial management and membership criteria to give continuity, strength, transparency and accountability to CPLC as an institution on a sustainable basis. The notification of the charter was relentlessly pursued for seven years with all governors.

A report documented by ‘Lead’, a leading environment and development institution for the Asian Development Bank, identifies the exemplary methods adopted by CPLC for its funding, totally dependent on local philanthropy for its day to day operation and not foreign donors due to its effective, transparent and accountable system. The extensive technical support, including the latest state-of-the-art call centre and upgraded software for criminal record management has been funded by the UNDP, through the Economic Affairs Division (EAD), Islamabad.

Other policies advocated by CPLC, besides assisting victims of crime in the past eight years, have been implemented or are in the final stages of implementation. These are a) Police Reforms b) Alien Registration Authority c) Arms Control Policy d) Computerized Criminal Record Management System (CCRMS) and e) National Vehicle Authority.

Other schemes promoted by CPLC are: a) Police Welfare b) CPLC-neighbourhood Care c) Public Toilet Scheme d) Darul Aman (Shelter for Women in Distress); e) Self-employment Scheme for the Handicapped f) Emergency Ambulance Service with Paramedics for Traffic Accident Victims.

On redefining the police role, its duties, responsibilities and jurisdiction, Karachi was declared a ‘capital city’. It has now become imperative to renotify the District Reporting Cells (DRCs) of CPLC into towns/zones or merely have one central office to oversee its functions. Till such time, District Offices are without legal authority. It was due to this very reason that I have pursued the notification of the charter since 1997 and more aggressively since 2000 as police reforms were on the anvil. The CPLC offices in Karachi were to have six zones to replace the five district offices. Due to this very reason, reorganization of CPLC in districts or at the Central Reporting Cell could not be initiated after 1997. Furthermore, the addition of a deputy chief and three assistant chiefs at the CRC would strengthen the operation of the CPLC-CRC on a provincial network. Any delay in notifying the charter and the advisory board would go against the interests of the institution. It is imperative that the governor supports this fine institution.

Any restructuring of the police force would not be possible unless two prime institutions — Public Safety Commission and the Police Complaint Authority — were put in place. Unfortunately they are being intentionally delayed to undermine the police reforms and to possibly initiate a reversal which could prove disastrous for all times to come.