The Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore, Khawaja Khalid Farooq, is the first police official of the rank of Additional IG heading the district's police force. He has also headed the Lahore city police earlier but in that tenure he was holding the rank of DIG. He also holds the distinction of being awarded the Quaid-e-Azam Police Gold Medal while being an under-training ASP. Since his joining the police service in 1974, he has held several important postings including that of SSP crimes branch Lahore, SSP Faisalabad, SSP Rawalpindi, DIG Special Branch Punjab and Inspector General Prisons, Punjab. In a detailed interview with The News on Sunday, he discusses the city's law and order situation, the challenges faced by the district police, the rising instance of crime in the city, measures to check police excess against the public and several other issues.

Excerpts of the interview follow:

The News on Sunday: What do you think are the reasons behind the growth in crime rate in Lahore? How do you think the police can tackle it?

Khawaja Khalid Farooq: First of all, I would say the crime rate has not grown as much at it is being projected in the media. In fact, it is the increase in the number of registered cases that has led to this perception among the masses. However, I would say that there is a significant increase in the instance of street crime where snatching of goods like mobile phones and purses have become too common. We have found that many non-professionals along with professional criminals are involved in street crime. All they need are a fast moving two wheeler and a small firearm. In many cases, the unemployed youth of the respective areas are the main culprits. To combat this new wave of crime, we need a force trained on new lines. In the past, habitual thieves and robbers used to put a particular house under observation for days and note the movements of the inmates. They would also identify the entrance and exit routes before daring to enter the premises. But now with the increase in mobility of cash and precious goods, the criminals find it easier to stop their victims in some dark ally and flee with the looted money, vehicles and other goods. To combat such criminals, the Lahore police have set up a 'Muhafiz Force' that will be trained on modern grounds and equipped with latest weapons.

TNS: But we have had many forces in the past like Mujahid Force, Tiger Squad and Elite Force but none of them could deliver. How do you think the results would be different this time?

KKF: I would not agree to this. All of these forces have yielded results to a great extent in their respective fields of operation. About Muhafiz Force, I would say it will be a custom-made force trained with the main goal of combating street crime in Lahore. The personnel of Muhafiz Force will be given small fire arms like Beretta pistols instead of the long rifle that is not easy to operate while riding a bike. Their reaction time will be much less than the existing patrolling forces. Furthermore, policemen in plain clothes will also be deployed in areas with high street crime rate. They will keep a vigilant eye on suspects and coordinate with their other colleagues to foil any attempts made by the criminals or arrest them beforehand.

TNS: You have repeatedly claimed that there is no reluctance on the part of the SHOs to register criminal cases. But the situation is otherwise. Why don't these junior officers accommodate the complainants?

KKF: I agree that there might be some cases where SHOs refuse to register FIRs. But on the whole the situation has improved manifold. Previously, the SHOs thought that unresolved criminal cases would negatively affect their Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) and appear like a blot all through their career. I have assured them that from now onwards, the number of cases (resolved or unresolved) registered by a particular officer will not have any impact on their ACRs. Besides, I have issued orders that strict disciplinary action will be taken against those refusing to register FIRs. For your information, I have even transferred five SHOs to Police Lines once the charges of non-registration of cases were proven against them. I strongly believe that the timely registration of all criminal cases also benefits police. On the contrary, the practice of registering minimum number of criminal cases can be harmful for the police itself.

TNS: You have said that timely registration of criminal cases can help police itself. Can you explain it?

KKF: The number of criminal cases registered in a particular area shows the exact law and order situation in a particular area. If there is high instance of crime in that area, more strength in terms of personnel, vehicles and weapons will be sanctioned for the police station located there. By hiding the number of crimes, an SHO will be crippling himself as well as creating logistic problems for his subordinates in times to come. Secondly, the utility of registering a crime becomes obvious once we get hold of some habitual criminal. If there are no cases or just one or two cases registered against him, he can get bail quite easily. But on the other hand, if we find a larger number of cases registered against such person, he cannot easily go unpunished..

TNS: Police pickets are a major cause of inconvenience for the general public. Have they ever yielded any results or just disturbed the law-abiding civilians?

KKF: The police pickets you are seeing nowadays are not permanent. In fact, they are target-oriented, time specific and set up in areas where there are chances of catching criminals. Regular pickets are not useful as criminals are aware of them and use alternative routes for their movement. About their utility, I would say that these pickets have definitely yielded results. According to the CCPO office statistics, out of the 10,130 suspected vehicles checked at these pickets over the last few days, 1,014 were seized. Besides, 82 illicit weapons were recovered from criminals, 35 narcotics cases registered, 117 persons taken into custody and 18 proclaimed offenders arrested at these pickets.

TNS: But innocent people have also been killed at these pickets. For example, a college student was killed by an Elite Force cop a few days back. How can you stop such killings?

KKF: Yes, there have been a few mishaps as well and we are extremely aggrieved to hear about the loss of innocent lives. The Elite Force staffer who shot at the college student has been arrested and a murder case already filed against him. It has also been decided that in future, no Elite Force personnel will be deployed at police pickets. A strict warning has already been issued to the whole police force to stop repetition of such criminal act.

TNS: The general public has always had a long list of complaints against the police. Does police also have any complaint against the public?

KKF: Yes, why not. We are also a part of the same society and have expectations from the other sections of the society. But when instead of helping us they add to our problems, life becomes difficult for us. To cite an example, I would say that in the last 5 to 6 month, the police emergency service (115) received around half a million calls. And not less than 90 per cent of these calls were hoax. Another major problem for us is the registration of false cases. The police and courts' records show that a large number of registered cases are false. This happens because of the reason that hardly anyone is punished for getting a false case registered against innocent citizens. Though the Section 182 of Pakistan Penal Code defines this crime and suggests punishments for the culprits, hardly anyone bothers to initiate action against such people. There have been lots of suggestions in the past that legislation should be done at the federal level to make this crime a cognizable offence. If the police is empowered to register criminal cases against these people and arrest them, the practice of getting false cases registered will automatically be discouraged. I would also suggest that there should be strict punishment for this crime as it causes immense embarrassment, inconvenience, mental torture to the innocent. Besides, lots of police force's work hours, resources, T.A/D.As and energies are wasted in trying to solve false cases.

TNS: Being overworked is often used as a defence by police officials for the misbehaviour of their subordinates. What are you doing to reduce this workload and improve police behaviour with the general public?

KKF: I would agree with this that the police force is overworked but this does not mean that the policemen should be allowed to misbehave. It is their prime duty, whatever the conditions may be, to serve the public. If they are found guilty of misbehaving, they are taken to task. I would like to inform you that the number of punishments against employees is the highest in the police department. No other government department can claim of being even close to the police department in taking disciplinary actions against its employees. About the second part of the question, I would like to inform you that appointing Supervisory Police Officers (SPOs) in police stations is part of the plan to improve service delivery and behaviour of policemen with the complainants. These SPOs will be gazzetted officers and ensure that the complainants' problems are addressed properly. They will also listen to complaints against rude and unruly police officials who refuse to entertain the general public. Another step that we are taking is to make it mandatory for policemen to go on one-day leave after 15 days. What happens normally is that policemen have to work endlessly for days. This takes a heavy toll on their physical and mental health. Many a time they get frustrated and misbehave with people visiting them. We are also planning to start double shift but that will be possible only after the increase in the strength of district's police force.

TNS: We have been hearing about community policing for quite long? Is the experiment successful here or not?

KKF: Yes, a few projects have been started in selected areas under police-public partnership plan and have yielded good results. For example, 30 motorcycles were given to the police by Gulberg Town people for patrolling. We are also promoting the concept of neighbourhood watch under which the locals can keep track of suspicious activities going on in their respective areas and inform the police accordingly. In addition to this, the police got 1400 Close Circuit TVs (CCTVs) installed in Lahore. The number of these cameras will increase day by day. I can safely claim that the installation of these cameras has helped a lot in reducing the incidents of theft, lock-breaking and car-lifting at several commercial centres.

Monsoon arrived with full force this week without Wasa's preparation to meet its consequences. Lahore is a city where an hour of rain is enough to collect knee-deep water on roads at every five minutes drive while there was a day when it rained hard day and night.

Buses run with the help of the Punjab Government went into hiding and so did the wagons. Only one fourth of the public transport plied in rain late last week. Even rickshaws were also fewer than usual. But the same exemption did not apply to office goers. As a result of shortage of public transport people waited long for vehicles throughout the day.

On Thursday, a gas pipeline caught fire while Wasa men were digging next to a City District Government girls school at Chappar Stop, Multan Road, as a result a large number of people suffered in the city. Hundreds of households remained without gas supply for two days and the commuters were caught in endless traffic jams. Traffic Police had closed Multan Road for traffic from Samanabad Mor to Yateem Khana Chowk on Thursday after the fire broke out at 3:15 pm and as the shopkeepers in front of the accident spot say, "It was at 5:45pm that the first fire brigade reached here -- after one and a half hours. And it was the main gas pipeline. The gas supply was also not stopped in the event of fire and was delayed which took longer for the fire brigade to extinguish fire."

On Friday afternoon one was surprised to find barricades along the Multan Road at Chowk Yateem Khana because the news of putting out the fire came at 9:30pm Thursday. All the vehicles were being diverted to Bund Road from where they would enter into narrow lanes and found way to Multan Road before Chappar Stop. Apparently there was all peace on Multan Road on Friday except that commuters were made to go through unnecessary trouble at Chowk Yateem Khana which served no purpose. In such an event like the one of fire on Thursday, traffic doesn't only need to be stopped but guided as well. As a result Samanabad remained all choked for hours. People who chose to walk down the barricaded road reached their destinations before those travelling on vehicles.

Built in 1920, Sir Ganga Ram's Samadhi has been conserved by the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) at a cost of about two million rupees. Experts disagree on the quality of conservation work and once again various government departments engage in infighting over their respective jurisdiction.

The Punjab Archaeology Department (PAD) set aside claims made by the EPTB that the conservation and restoration of the building is up to the mark. EPTB says that it has all the expert hands and technical knowhow to conserve the building and restore it to its original form. According to the Archaeology Department the construction work is in sheer violation of the Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance 1985. The ordinance makes it obligatory on the owner of the historical building to consult the Punjab Archaeology Department for technical assistance about plans to conserve or restore it.

Orya Maqbool Jan, Director PAD, claims the EPTB has not done the work properly. "It does not have the required technical assistance like highly qualified conservationists and architects to undertake the task of conserving a monument. They have used unnecessary rather damaging material like iron rods which were not used in the original structure." Orya agrees that the ownership rights of Sir Ganga Ram's Samadhi are with the EPTB, "... but that does not mean that they are free to do whatever they like. They do not have a single conservationist. In my view the ownership of a historical building should be with a department that has the capability to take care of it properly."

To the argument that the Samadhi was in a bad condition and had not been restored for the last many years Orya says, "We had prepared all the relevant drawings and the PC1 for the restoration of the building. But the EPTB did the work without notifying us." Orya thinks it may be too late for them to lay their claims on the building. "The damage has been done but we would like to restore it to its original form if we are allowed to." Orya believes lack of proper coordination with the departments concerned is an unprofessional attitude. "There should be a timely coordination between the departments like Auqaf, EPTB and us. We have seen what has happened with places like Asif Jah's haveli and Ranjeet Singh's Samadhi in the absence of a collective effort of the departments concerned."

Orya disagrees with the perception that the PAD is not doing its work well. "Katas has been given to us for conservation and restoration. One can also see the difference in the maintenance of the Shalimar Gardens after it was handed over to us."

The EPTB officials, on their part, take credit for conserving a place which was in a very bad state for the last about a decade, with no effort having been made by the PAD to restore it to its original form. "We have a full team of experts that deals with the technical side of conservation. Anybody can come and see that we have done the restoration according to the set standards. No changes have been made to the original form while restoring parts of the building," says Izhar-ul-Hassan, Additional Secretary Shrines, EPTB. Hassan hits back at the Archaeology department. "We have a record of conservations done by the Archaeology department. What have they done with the monuments they possess?" he asks.

The tussle between the two departments over who owns which building is nothing new. Last year the Punjab Archeology Department and the EPTB disagreed over the ownership rights of the same place. The EPTB then claimed that the Archeology Department did nothing to restore the building and had suddenly woken up to propose its restoration work.

While the two departments are not ready to go back from their stated positions over the issue, Dr. Ajaz Anwar, a conservationist, does not see much substance in what the Punjab Archaeology department is saying. "In some respects we should be thankful to the EPTB people for taking care of the building. Whether the work has been done according to international standards can be discussed at length. But we have to acknowledge that at least a step has been taken in the right direction," he says. "The place was in a very bad state and had become a meeting place for drug addicts in the area."

Agreeing with Orya Maqbool Jan, Ajaz says that the building constructed in the early twenties did not need the expertise of conservationists who conserve buildings of the Mughal era. "The materials used in the building at the time of its conservation are not very different from what we use today. So I don't think that a very high level of knowledge of conservation was needed to restore the building. As for Punjab Archaeology Department, they don't have any conservationists either. They need more conservationists, landscapists and architects to perform their duties in a better way."

The Punjab Forest Department, the Park and Horticulture Authority and the City District Government (CDG) of Lahore run one of their two yearly campaigns of tree plantation in July. The first campaign continues from January to March, while the second from July till September.

The News on Sunday interviewed environmentalists, PHA officials and people from various segments of society to find out how and at what pace the tree-plantation is proceeding.

Muhammad Abdul Basit, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Publicity in the Punjab Forest Department, says: "We will plant 13 million plants across Punjab through 508 nurseries. Among them are 1,50,000, tree, shrubs and flowery plants. PHA and CDG will assist us in the city. These plants will be planted on roads, canal and parks. We try to get people to help us through media publicity. We also distribute pamphlets in which we tell them in what way to care for plants."

The public must protect plants as they care for their own precious possessions. "They must check those who destroy trees, shrubs and grass by trespassing on road dividers. When Pakistan was established there were only three percent trees, which has increased to seventeen percent. Pakistan Economic Research Institution (PERI) conducted a survey to establish the number of trees needed. As many housing societies are developing in the city, a fixed number of trees must be specified in every area, which must be planted at all costs. We will provide them plants for this purpose," says Basit.

"We sell these plants at nominal rates with the hope that maximum number of people will buy and plant them. In the days of the campaign, the trees are sold at two rupee per tree, and root or shoot cuttings at 60 paisas per head. PHA deals with this matter in the city. There are some specified places in the city where we plant. Jallo Mor Park and Lahore Zoo and some other big Parks. All other places are under the supervision of PHA, which is working whole-heartedly for the beautification of the city," he says.

"We establish seven sales center when we launch our campaigns in the city. We have achieved the target of our first campaign of this year. A campaign continues for two to three months; after that, measures for protecting the trees are put in place. We involve institutions in these campaigns; among them school and colleges are most important," Ahmam Bhatti, Director of Admin Punjab Forest Department says. "We will plant 1,70,000 trees in this monsoon campaign. This is a joint venture of the Punjab Forest Department and City District Government. Among them 1,00,000 trees will be planted by PHA while 50,000 by Punjab Forest department and 20,000 by the City District Government." He said that cooperative societies are entitled to plant 50,000 trees in each society which they develop, and Punjab Forest department will help them. A large number of trees will be planted in the parks and along the roads. Plantation in the middle of roads is the most difficult task because either trespassers destroy it or it creates problems in the flow of traffic.

Javaid Shaida, director public relations in PHA, tells us that we feel that some years back there was more greenery in the city, which is replaced by development in the shape of buildings and roads. Trees absorb many harmful gases and provide us oxygen. PHA is trying hard to meet the set target, but gets no help from other departments. People, too, can play a role. The trees planted along Jail Road and in Gulberg are cared for by the people, while the plants along the roads of the old city meet their end quite soon because they are not cared for.

He said that there is a perception that plantation is going on only in the newly developed areas; however, it must be borne in mind that small planted trees become visible only after six or seven years. The government must educate people through media and seminars, but it lack funds and cannot organise such functions repeatedly. Lawmakers can play their due role by making greenery compulsory in every newly constructed house generally and in all new developing societies particularly. The absence of designated areas for greenery, shown to the government officials at the time of passing projects, is not noted when the project is completed. This happens because there is no strict law to punish such negligence.

Fatima Altaf Malhi, Chairperson of Environmental Task Force, is very keen to make Lahore an un-polluted city. "A good environment is the right of the people and the government departments are trying to provide it. Various surveys have been conducted in this regard. The welfare of the people is our first priority, by giving them a pleasant atmosphere and beautiful city. The plantation campaign in monsoon will start in the last week of this month. Fifteen hundred thousand trees of Lostonia, Amaltas, Burma, Jamin, Gold More, Water Brush, Gab, Neem, Arjun, Pepal, Sheesham and many others will be planted in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, National Bank Park, Liberty Park, Nasir Bagh, Jilani Park and Minar-e-Pakistan. The Eucalyptus (safaida) trees are non-friendly to the environment. A tree of this type absorbs 125 litres of water daily. This is dangerous for us because we already have water shortages in the city. We will focus on different parts of the city at a time and plant trees which appropriate to particular localities, because a tree which can survive in Defence might not be able to survive in Lakshmi Chowk," she says.

Members of the public interviewed were critical of the way government policies are damaging trees for the benefit of a small portion of the population; most of the planting, they say, seems to be going on in the posh areas of the city, which have already developed in planned way.

Environmentalists have also expressed concerns at the government's policy of cutting trees in the name of development. Already, they say, the number of trees is many times less than is needed to provide relief in the heat to citizens, and this is the time to become aware of the fact that massive plantation is needed. A planned campaign of plantation of trees and shrubs must be launched by the government, which should continue until the required result is achieved.

A good leader is one who knows. So when the President of Pakistan impressed on his emissaries around the world to act as able salesmen, he put his finger on the problem. The same strain of thought could next be stretched to cover all other areas of national life where the sale is on. Surely, the big man is soon going to offer the same advice to the officials at home. The main job today is trading; trading the Steel Mills for the right amount; trading the Pakistan Telecom with the right people; making sure that the state land is sold to the highest bidder, ideally, without any consideration for the bidder's origins. Needless to say, though, that this official word from the top cannot be fully effective unless it is carried right down to the grassroots -- to where the word salesman is derived from.

Just as the smartly turned out salesboys have been found wanting in marketing Pakistan to the outsiders properly, inside the country, the merchants are striving more than ever before to have the best people manning their shops.

If a round of a city is an indicator, the demand for salesmen is great. From Beadon Road to Model Town Link Road to Ferozepur Road to Gulberg, the traders are looking for enterprising salesmen to run their business for them. The signs are up in great number, inviting the aspirants for a walk-in interview. The demands of the employers vary, but common to almost all these job invitations are two requirements: that the person applying should not be more than 35; and he should be a resident of Lahore. Obviously, the call is for energetic men whose lodging is already taken care of. But this selection has its own consequences for the employer, about which later.

To a layperson the numbers are staggering. In these times of unemployment one didn't really expect to find the shop owners in a situation where they had to ask people to join. It was presumed that the applications would be pouring in from all sides without the employers having to advertise.

As per the traditional system, the 'larkas' or the boys were recruited from areas close to the shop. The distance between work and home was not great for anyone, worker or employer. Usually, they had their homes in the same street or at the most in the same bazaar. Trends have changed and people have moved out to create more space for shopping plazas, especially in downtown Lahore.

While it may escape the notice of a casual visitor to the bazaar, there are categories of salesmen and the most efficient of them get salaries comparable to amounts drawn by office clerks. They begin with the title of a 'helper' and graduate to a point where they are sometimes allowed to pose as the owners of the shop on which they 'sit'. The bigger their sales, the higher they go and of course, they enjoy greater freedom of the market as compared to the souls condemned to sit on the desk for life.

Even then the salesmen fly away. One problem shop owners complain of is that the salesmen have become ambitious. In many cases young boys join shops until they have found a better employment, which is perhaps as it has always been. Yet, earlier some of them would commit themselves to the long haul, thus easing the burden on their employer. The specie is fast becoming extinct as greater exposure introduces people to the merits of changing jobs and greater choices enable them to change places.

They may appear to be so until now, but the bazaar trends are not entirely negative. The employer is appalled by the antics of the date-marring, phone-chatting larkas at his shop who would quit work rather than let go of a chance to have few words with you know who. But he is missing the point. Didn't he say that he wanted a young man at his shop? Didn't he know that young men have dreams?

The employer nods his head. The choice between a dreamer and an older man who has so much family weighing on his mind is a difficult one.