islamabad - Interior minister Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday said that the departments of psychology, sociology and criminology can help decode the minds of criminals.

He said that policing is one of the oldest functions of the state because maintaining peace and ensuring security of citizens are among the primary tasks of a state. Peace is a primary requisite, he said, adding that all the stakeholders have to play a significant role in ensuring peace. He was addressing on the occasion of National Police Summit and Innovation Expo-2018 at Jinnah Convention Centre. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and National Police Bureau (NPB) had jointly organised the day-long first National Police Summit and Innovation Expo-2018 with an aim to display innovative technologies and evolve new ideas to revolutionize policing system in the country.

Ahsan Iqbal was chief guest of the ceremony, while Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC and heads of police from all the four provinces, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan also graced the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Ahsan Iqbal congratulated HEC and NPB on holding the first-ever National Police Summit and Innovation Expo where academia and national police heads gathered under one roof. He said the purpose of summit was to strengthen linkages among government, academia and police. He revealed that universities play a very vital role in coping with the challenges of crime and terrorism. He stated that because universities bring about new technologies, it is very important to build strong government-academia-industry linkages. “This partnership will lead to new avenues of collaboration,” he hoped.

He further said that he was proud of the police force which laid their lives to protect life and property of the citizens. He said the nation owns the police martyrs as their heroes. Interior minister said that the police have checked cyber crime through modern technology. However, he said it is not the technology only to boost performance of the force but attitude as well.

“Police must be ahead of criminals in use of technologies,” he stressed. He revealed that cybercrime has become one of the key challenges for policing. This requires new competencies to understand and utilize new technologies, he emphasised.

Ahsan Iqbal hoped the next National Police Summit and Innovation Expo will have representation of police departments of friendly countries so that ideas are exchanged for improved policing.

He said that youth are the real power of Pakistan, therefore every department must of youth-centric. He said police can use universities as a strong collaborative platform to interact with youth and protect their lives.

He informed the audience that Islamabad police have been directed to exhibit zero tolerance to compromise on safety measures and traffic violations. “Enforcement of traffic laws can save hundreds of lives,” he said, adding that new ideas need to be evolved to materialise the concept of community policing. He said the government has established National Database of Criminals which will help identify criminals everywhere in the country. He also launched the e-policing project which includes a citizen App and electronic challan system.

Commenting on the performance of Islamabad Traffic Police, the minister said that the force was adopting zero tolerance policy for the violations. He said that the ITP saved several lives and added that the police was taking all measures for safety of the citizens. He said ITP was striving for reduction in traffic accidents. The minister said that he was happy over the police department holding the event which, he added, will help establish a crime-free society.

During the ceremony, prizes worth Rs. 100,000; Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 50,000 respectively were distributed among the winners of innovation project proposals and innovative ideas. In the innovation project proposals, Bahria University Islamabad clinched the 1st position, while Riphah International University won the 2nd position, and Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad obtained the 3rd position. A total of 112 project proposals were received in the competition. Rawalpindi Medical College won the best idea award in the competition. All Law enforcement agencies of Pakistan participated in this expo and decorated their stalls to highlight their success story, new ideas in their traditional day to day working and improvement overall organizational effectiveness and performance. National Highways & Motorway Police also participated in this expo and displayed latest equipments, Road Safety educational materials along with latest technology and technical accessories stall.

The IG, NH&MP Dr. Syed Kaleem Imam presented a memento to the federal minister and distributed gifts among the students. While addressing the visitors, Dr. Syed Kaleem Imam said that National Highways and Motorway Police have always maintained the standard of road safety in Pakistan which is acknowledged worldwide. He stated that National Highways & Motorways Police is committed to create the supremacy and enforcement of law on motorways and highways. IG NH&MP said the probability of accidents can be reduced by different ways. 

While lauding the services of media, he requested media to step forward for this national cause to create awareness on road safety so that the lives of the people could be saved. He also requested teachers, parents and all public agencies as well as private sectors need to play their role in strengthening road safety. He said that NH&MP Mobile Educations Units visits bus/truck addas, offices, factories, institutions to create awareness on road/traffic discipline and road safety, which resulted 60-70 reduction in road traffic accidents.  He further said that aim of this Road Safety stall is to save the precious lives of people.