islamabad - Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday emphasised that the policing could not be improved without active participation of community.

He said that reforms were being introduced to make Islamabad police an example for others. “The idea of community policing should be materialised while benefiting from state-of-the-art technology.

The basic objective is to make the capital police a smart force through capacity-building courses and adopting innovation,” the minister said while addressing the concluding session of a two-day Police-Media Training Workshop organised at National Police Academy in collaboration with International Narcotics and Law Enforcement-Pakistan (INL-P).

Inspector General of Police Islamabad Sultan Azam Taimuri, chief commissioner Islamabad, commandant National Police Academy, officers Islamabad police and media persons attended the session aimed at building capacity of police officers in engaging with journalists.

The minister said that arranging training courses for Islamabad police with lectures from national and international experts on communication skills and modern policing was a good step to improve professional conduct of the force. He directed the police to ensure people-friendly attitude and pursue zero tolerance against all crimes.

He said that model police stations project in the federal capital was being expedited, which, he said, would be made an example for the provinces with sole objective to facilitate the common people.

Ahsan Iqbal said that first batch of anti-riot unit of Islamabad Police, comprising 586 personnel to deal with protests and sit-ins in the capital had been passed out.

The first batch of Rapid Response Force which has been imparted training to keep them abreast with security challenges would also be rolled out soon, he said. Special leadership course for SHOs is also being arranged in Islamabad, he said, adding that a reward system for SHOs, junior officers and constables of the month had been introduced. The policemen exhibiting outstanding performance would be given cash prizes, he said.

The minister said that the role of police in the society was of prime importance as no country could progress without improved law and order. “Peace is crucial for development,” he said.

Ahsan Iqbal further said that the police were not only doing its own duty but also playing vital role in development of the country.

He said that police vehicles were being equipped with modern gadgets and deployment of additional staff being ensured so that monitoring system under safe city project could be further strengthened.

The minister appreciated the organisers for arranging the training workshop and said that it would help in enhancing communication skills of the police officers.

IGP, Sultan Azam Taimuri, the INL-Pakistan representative, journalists including Hamid Mir and Umer Cheema also addressed the ceremony.

The IGP Islamabad Sultan Azam Temuri said that policemen were enabled through the workshop as how to deal with media in any situation. He said that three Cs strategy (condemn, concern and commitment) was shared with the police officials and they were taught about importance of media handling.  The police also conducted mock exercises and press conferences to gauge their confidence level.

A participant of the workshop said that it was the best part of their training to interact with media and they had learnt a lot from it, which, he added, would be helpful for them in their professional life. He said that they were briefed about media and how to liaison with them during normal and crisis situations.