15 March 2023, Quetta - UNODC, under the European Union funded Rule of Law Roadmap (RoLR) Balochistan conducted a 3-day training on 13-15 March for the police staff of the recently refurbished Smart Police Stations and Police Khidmat Markaz. This intervention is a testament to European Union and UNODC’s commitment to work with the Government of Balochistan in making policing services more accessible, accountable and responsive to the people.
The RoLR is directed towards enabling the justice sector to perform their functions and duties in the most efficient and effective manner. Under the RoLR, the Balochistan Police was provided with technical, operational and infrastructure support, resulting in the planning and design of Smart Police Stations and Police Khidmat Markaz to assist the Balochistan Police in implementing digitalization of police processes and responses.
The 16 participants were trained on the modules of the specialized software, which will enable them to provide facilities to the public at respective Smart Police Stations and Police Khidmat Markaz. The specialized software of Balochistan Police includes Police station Record Management System (PSRMS), Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), Complaint Management System (CMS), Criminal Record Management System (CRMS), Hotel Eye and Driving License processing. Criminal Record Identifier (CRI) is another important feature of the software training. This system is primarily created for use in police stations and CRO offices. It can also be used at police check posts, entrances and exits. Through fingerprints previous criminal records can easily be identified across Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Islamabad.
The 5 Smart Police Stations and a Khidmat Markaz were recently inaugurated offering speedy access to policing services for the citizens under one roof. The Smart Police Stations are designed to provide better environment to the general public and to restore responsive, effective, and accountable local police service, that is accessible to both men and women. The strategy aims to maximize public satisfaction through effective and measurable performance management of different tiers of police, automation of police responses and processes. Smart Police Stations offer a front facilitation desk, a gender desk and an improved roznamcha, head muharar and investigation offices.
The concept behind a Police Khidmat Markaz is to provide hassle free processes that guarantee turn-around time for citizens, values respectable treatment of the public and offers user feedback mechanism and online tracking system. Police Khidmat Markaz is also equipped with a gender desk, IT software solutions and CCTV Cameras. It is completely different from regular police stations in terms of its structure, environment and way of public dealing. At the Police Khidmat Markaz, the public will be able to file their complaints easily, particularly in non-cognizable offences.
Mr. Ayaz Baloch, AIG Information Technology visited the training sessions and thanked UNODC for their efforts in organizing this important training. He also stressed on the need to expedite digitization of all Police Stations in order to ensure efficient and timely service to the public.
The trainees expressed the need to continue these trainings across the province in order to equip the police with relevant knowledge and skills. After the training, the participants felt more confident in using the specialized software.
