Karachi: 400 traffic cops not carrying out their patrolling jobs

• Karachi Traffic Police chief says supervisory officers of these cops were equally responsible for the situation.
• Says instead of patrolling the roads assigned to them, cops were seen engaging in "unofficial activities” in areas and streets not included in their beats.
• Says all the relevant DSPs will now reorganise the beats of the patrolling staff in their subdivisions.

About 400 traffic police officials, who have been given official motorcycles, have reportedly not been diligently performing their patrolling duties, The News reported Tuesday.

Taking notice of the situation, Karachi Traffic Police chief Iqbal Dara said that these traffic police officials were never seen patrolling the roads assigned to them; instead, they were seen busy with “unofficial activities” in areas and streets not included in their beats.

He said these traffic police were involved in a "very undesirous act" by ignoring their official duty orders. He added that the supervisory officers of these cops were equally responsible for this situation as they had not been providing the due guidelines to their subordinate staff to perform their official duties diligently.

DIG Dara announced a set of guidelines for the erring personnel to help them duly perform their patrolling duties in their assigned beats. All the relevant DSPs will now reorganise the beats of the patrolling staff in their subdivisions in the city.

The patrolling staff are now responsible for dealing with unauthorised parking, illegal rickshaws, traffic accidents, and violations of traffic rules, especially one-way traffic route. The patrolling staff will update the relevant base about the traffic situation after every hour. They have also been told to write in an official diary about the proceedings of their daily duty to duly update their senior officials.

The supervisory officials will be taken to task if these patrolling cops are found absent from duty or found involved in unauthorised conduct. The supervisory officials will be responsible to make sure that the official motorcycles of their subordinate patrolling staff are in the best condition, and a weekly inspection system should be evolved for the purpose.

The patrolling staff have been told to make sure that the different gadgets fitted with their motorcycles shouldn’t be removed, and likewise, no deliberate attempt should be made to conceal the real official identity of these two-wheelers.

Dara said the traffic supervisory officers from now on would be checked for their presence on the road through video calls and would also post their presence videos. He added that citizens were also encouraged to film traffic cops who were found involved in corrupt practices.