KARACHI, Feb 15: Inspections of police stations in Karachi and interior of Sindh, required under the Police Rules, have not been conducted since the separation of the operations and investigations wings of the police in 2002, Dawn has learnt.

The Police Rules 1934 state that inspections of police stations must take place at least twice a year, but while the practice is followed in Punjab, the Sindh police have never taken these inspections seriously, according to a well-placed source.

“The Punjab police still carries out inspections of police stations religiously,” remarked an SSP of the Sindh police, requesting anonymity.

As far as inspections are concerned, things took a turn for the worse after the two wings of operations and investigation were created: both wings shifted the responsibility for inspections on each other.

“Every police station and post in a district shall be thoroughly inspected by a gazetted officer twice a year; at least one inspection shall be carried out by the superintendent. At such inspections of police stations a return for each quarter’s working since the last inspection shall be made out and submitted with an inspection report to the deputy inspector-general, attached to the weekly diary of the superintendent,” the Police Rules 1934 say.

The rules go on to say that there should be two results of any inspection: the inspecting officer should reach definite conclusions regarding the state of crime (either ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’) and the chief causes of crime. The officer in charge of the police station should receive active assistance and suggestions from the inspecting officer in order to improve the state of crime in his area, the rules further state.

“Informal inspections of police stations and posts shall be made as frequently as the superintendent may consider necessary and desirable, having regard to the circumstances of each particular police station and post,” the rules say.

A superintendent of police posted in Karachi admitted that he has only carried out one inspection in his professional career, saying “it was a requirement of training as an under-training ASP.”

He added that many officers of the same rank had probably never carried out a single inspection during their careers.

The inspections are meant to allow senior officers to take stock of the situation at police stations, and to check on the state of their stores, particularly those for arms and ammunition.

Case property handling

The Malkhana is a place in the police station where case properties are stored. Case properties may include cash, jewellery or other valuables. There have been reported cases, however, where case properties have been sold by policemen.

The Head Moharar is the custodian of the police station, and he is required to keep records for all articles. He also has the keys to the Malkhana.

In Karachi, however, several Head Moharars are often transferred without properly handing over their duties to the new officer.

In fact, a senior official told Dawn that often the former Head Moharar of a police station is called back to the establishment in order to open the Malkhana, as he still has the keys, even after his transfer.

“Often Head Moharars are too busy in the collection of ‘dues’ from different sources, so how can they concentrate on departmental issues,” an officer sarcastically remarked.

There are also 25 registers in every police station to keep records. Some deal with the records of criminals residing in the jurisdiction of the police station. The registers are supposed to be updated on a weekly basis, with policemen monitoring the whereabouts of suspected or known criminals.

A visit to any police station in the city, however, will reveal that not a single register is maintained or up-to-date.

A senior officer said that if these registers were maintained, criminals could be tracked down with ease.

Weapons not maintained

Police officers’ weapons are also often neglected, and are often damaged due to rust. Regular maintenance could be ensured through inspections.

A senior police officer cited instances where policemen have lost their lives during encounters with criminals because their guns jammed or malfunctioned during the gun-battle.

Under Rule V of the rules made by the provincial government under the Indian Arms Act 1878, “the shops, premises and stocks of all licensed manufacturers and dealers shall be inspected once in every quarter by a police officer not below the rank of deputy superintendent. At least one inspection in each year will be performed by the superintendent of police.”

Most police officers are unaware of this requirement, an officer remarked.