Among the plethora of ills that have turned the police force into what it is today, it is the unbelievably a disproportionately large number of policemen performing guard duties for VIPs all over the country. As reported in this paper, the number of policemen on protocol duties in Lahore alone stands at a staggering 20,000 leaving a paltry 6,000 for looking after law and order. It simply beggars belief that the force could leave the citizens at the mercy of bandits, lawbreakers and so many others of their ilk, only to protect a few individuals. Understandably, with such a meagre strength, the criminals ranging from thieves to terrorists are having a field day. The practice eats into department’s resources; the use of new vehicles and sophisticated weapons for VIP duties leaves the normal policing in a complete shambles. Conditions become suitable for the crime to thrive since even special squads like the Elite Force personnel are given out to VIPs. The crime rate till August this year went up by 50 percent compared to last year’s first eight months, as witnessed in alarming increase in incidents of street crime, home burglaries and random killings. This outrageous propensity rooted in our colonial past and errant bureaucrats’ predilection for pomp and show should not be condemned with words only; it has to be weeded out root and branch. The police guards’ immediate redeployment, keeping in view how badly the country is in the grip of violence, must be ordered.