KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday announced over nine per cent increase in budget for security in the province, fixing it at Rs109.788 billion for fiscal 2019-20 compared to Rs100.483bn allocated in the last fiscal with a promise to recruit another 3,000 police personnel in the law-enforcement agency.

“Law and order situation is directly related to social as well as economic development of people,” said Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah while delivering the first budget speech after the election in the Sindh Assembly. “Our government has given continued priority to law and order as this sector is integral part of good governance. Resultantly the law and order situation has significantly improved over the years.”

He mentioned the police and “other law-enforcement agencies” which the government had been providing adequate resources to ensure that they develop their capacity in the wake of challenges of law and order and terrorism, but did not elaborate about the “other” law-enforcement agencies. He referred to a three-pronged strategy to combat the law and order challenges.

Counter-Terrorism Department to be ‘revamped’

“We have adopted a three-pronged strategy to combat law and order challenges: building capacity of human resource through training, utilising latest technology particularly use of information technology (IT) and recognising the services of those who embrace shahadat or get injured,” he said.

He referred to “a large number of schemes” which were proposed for fiscal 2019-20 which included revamping of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and creating a professional and dedicated force styled as Counter-Terrorism Force (CTF).

“Sindh police will establish additional 259 reporting rooms under an ADP scheme in 2019-20 to streamline the processes and have easy access to public. In order to fill in the gaps of actual requirement of police force, we plan to create 3,000 new posts in different grades in budget 2019-20,” added the chief minister.

He highlighted several projects for capacity building and enhanced professionalism as well as welfare of the police force which were executed during the outgoing fiscal and vowed to continue a few of them in 2019-20.

“In the current financial year, numerous milestones were achieved,” he said. “IT labs and reporting rooms at offices and police stations throughout Sindh have been established. Disbursement as compensation was made to shaheed and injured personnel of security forces from the allocated Rs1,000 million. The training to the newly recruited police constables has been provided at Pak army training centres with the cost of Rs661 million.”

He said that five facilitation centres would be established at the divisional level wherein common man would come for the redress of their grievances like issuance of character verification, report of loss of valuable things, complaint of the crime on the spot, missing child, domestic violence, vehicle theft calling it “landmark project” of the Sindh police.

“Some 3,690 police personnel have been recruited through National Testing Services and recruitment of 4,507 police personnel is under process. Similarly, bomb disposal unit’s equipment [has] been enhanced with latest and modern technology,” added CM Shah.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2019