LAHORE - The police department, in principle, has decided to reintroduce the ancient uniform for policemen in the Punjab province. All the police officials will once again start wearing the old uniform – black shirt with khaki pant – by the end of next year.
The PMLN-led Punjab government had replaced the old police uniform with olive green colour early last year, and this amendment was implemented after 59 years.
The fresh move comes almost one and a half year after the provincial government spent millions of rupees on the purchase of new police uniform. In case the department reverts to the previous uniform, the decision will be a setback for the previous government which had amended the uniform as part of reforms agenda. However, many police official are in favour of the restoration of the old uniform.
Punjab Police Inspector General Amjad Javed Saleemi last week announced that the existing colour of the police uniform will be changed when available stock would end. Police sources revealed that the old uniform would be restored by the end of next year as the available stock would end in July 2019.
In his first policy statement issued on Friday, the police chief also said police committees will also prepare recommendations to restore Thikri Pehra, an old system of watch and ward in the rural areas of the province.
The new government has decided to reintroduce the old police uniform in the Punjab province after taking all stakeholders into confidence. A source familiar with the development said that Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has already given green signal to the provincial police officer in the light of the recommendations prepared by different committees to review the policy regarding police uniform.
Early this year, a high-powered committee was constituted to collect feedback from the police force, following the launch of new dress code in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad and Sheikhupura police regions.
Former Punjab’s IGP Muhammad Tahir was chairman of the committee while DIG Zulfiqar Hameed, DIG Shahzada Sultan, SSP Rai Babar Saeed, SSP Athar Ismail Amjad, SSP Zeeshan Asghar, SP Syed Ali and SP Saif Ullah Khan were members of the review committee.
Earlier, the central police office had issued a notification, asking the committee to undertake an analysis and collect opinions of the police force about the new uniform.
According to the notification, “The committee shall solicit (region, district and rank wise views of the force) on scientific grounds obtained from a representative sample of the Punjab Police and submit a comprehensive report regarding colour shade, weight, pattern, comfort and outlook of the dark olive green uniform besides concrete recommendations either to make amendments/alteration/changes in the present dark olive green uniform or to revert to the previous uniform or to adopt any other pattern/colour/type of cloth. “Being a large organisation, various opinions have emerged regarding various facets of the new uniform.” “In order to accommodate the majority view of the organisation the committee is constituted to undertake a survey/analysis regarding acceptability of these opinions about the new uniform.”
Presently, the entire police force is wearing the new dark olive green uniform in Punjab. The government last year announced that all regions, units of the Punjab police shall switch to new uniform by December 2017 in a phased manner according to the approved schedule.
The Lahore police department launched the new dress code officially in April last year when at least 30,000 newly-stitched uniforms were given to policemen in the metropolis. In a phased programme, the provincial government replaced the age-old black police uniform with the dark olive green. When the provincial police department decided to introduce new dress for the police force in 2017, many officers and Jawans had to accept the change, no matter willingly or unwillingly.
However, some senior officers objected to the government’s decision as the police department notified the new dress after months-long deliberations. As a matter of fact, many top police officers had unanimously approved the new dress for the police. But after the retirement of IGP Mushtaq Sukhera, some former police chiefs criticised the policy of new police uniform. They were demanding the government not to change the old dress code which had become “a symbol of recognition”.
Also, some policemen were seen whispering against the new policy. They were of the view that the new uniform eliminated the “terror of the police force” on ground. They said that the policemen in their new uniform look like private security guards. Also, they said, the police faced a lot of difficulties in discharging their duties in the new uniform, especially during the summer season.
Several years ago, the police department had dropped the same idea of changing the police uniform after facing strong resistance from within the force against the new uniform. In 2012, the idea of new police uniform had also triggered a heated debate within the department and in the national media as well. The government announced that the decision regarding new uniform will be reviewed after six months.
Police officer Hamayun Bashir Tarrar, who was the Head the Logistic Department of the Punjab Police in 2017, said that experts at the national textile university were also consulted to ensure suitable suiting for the policemen. “Our constables will be more comfortable in new uniform (dark olive green). It was designed on the pattern of Pakistan Army.”
The officer also said that the new pattern was approved after several quality tests regarding moisture management. “The new dress was designed by top engineers. Surely, the new dress will facilitate police in operational duties,” he added.
Although the change of police uniform, twice in a couple of years, will cost the public exchequer in billions. But, the police force is ready to welcome this change. The announcement made by Punjab IGP Amjad Javed Saleemi about the revival of old uniform was based on the recommendations of the high-powered committee which worked for several months to collect feedback from the largest law enforcing agency.
In his policy statement, IGP Amjad Javed last week also announced that community policing would be revived in the province so that the province could be made crime-free with the cooperation of the public. The police force will be made a real force of “Public Guards” by ensuring timely provision of justice to the victims of crime and violence, he said.