LAHORE: The newly-raised Quick Response Force (QRF), a batch of which passed out a few days ago at Qilla Gujjar Singh Police Lines, was formally brought to the field assignments on Friday to prevent crime against property and terrorism in the provincial capital.

A batch of 90 QRF officials with the help of 45 motorcycles performed patrolling and picketing duties to assist the local police in the Baghbanpura police precinct and also held flag-march in four areas of the Cantonment police division.

On Feb 17, a batch of 219 policemen completed a month-long professional and physical training course (combat, raids, ambush, anti ambush, repelling, weapon-handling and picket-forming) with an objective to curbing terrorist and criminal elements. The trained personnel are being deployed for patrolling and picketing in hot spots already identified by the police in all the 84 police stations.

On Friday, QRF officials set up pickets on all entry-exit points of hot spots, where robberies and street crime take place frequently.

Cantonment SP (Operations) Sarfraz Ahmad Virk said 90 QRF officials flag-marched in North Cantonment, Ghaziabad, Burki, Baghbanpura and Harbanspura in the morning on the first day of their field assignment.

He said the officials would be part of patrolling and picketing duties in all hot spots in Baghbanpura circle from 7pm to 1am. He said eight Mohafiz (each comprises four policemen and two motorcycles) were usually part of patrolling in each police station but the availability of QRF officials would be on alternate dates (according to areas).

Sources said the experience to raise QRF was not new in the Lahore police as earlier similar forces were raised at least four times in the last five years or so keeping in view terrorist attacks in the city. Around 300 police constables were imparted commando training by the army officials at the Elite Police Training School.

However, the force either remained in reserves or was deputed at static places or assigned VVIP duties. It was not used for combat operations or crime fighting, they added.

Sources expressed apprehensions that yet another experiment to raise QRF might be a futile exercise owing to a lack of inconsistent policies.

The exercise was also launched in the tenure of former Civil Lines SP Muhammad Omar Saeed who trained 100 policemen to use the force against the anti-state elements and criminals. The force, which was deployed at pickets in the Civil Lines division, was withdrawn after the transfer of the officer.

After experiencing different QRFs, the city police authorities again decided to raise a force which would not act as reserve and rather assist the local police in dealing with alarming crime rate in the city.

SP Headquarters Maroof Safdar Wahla said out of 261 constables, 219 passed the QRF course and now they were being dispatched to different police divisions with worn-out (50) motorcycles. “One constable is equipped with Breta pistol and the other with SMG,” he said.

He said the idea to use QRF by the divisional police was to prevent incidents in crime pockets in peak timings between 4pm and 12am, adding that he had sent a proposal to his superiors to provide 70 QRF officials and 30 motorcycles each to three police divisions a day for the purpose.

Wahla further claimed that effective daily use of QRF by divisional SPs and their subordinates would create a positive impact against daily crimes. He said trained cops would be given additional training after two months.