IGP wants timely compilation of missing and kidnapped children’s data

Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon on Wednesday chaired a meeting at the Central Police Office to review issues of the women and child protection centres and measures taken by the police to improve them.

The meeting reviewed complaints for missing children and action taken after the registration of such complaints. Officials said the meeting decided to get FIRs related to the disappearance and abduction of children swiftly registered under the human rights department and pursuance of the cases.

The meeting was attended by officials of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), crime and DIGs of investigation, establishment, IT, Criminal Investigation Agency and headquarters, along with officers of the investigation department.

Crime and Investigations DIG Amir Farooqi briefed the participants about the performance of women and child protection centres and discussed issues of domestic disputes, missing children, kidnapping, human trafficking, registration of acid attack and other cases, and police measures in this regard.

It was said that all the related departments would join the ‘One Stop Protection Centres’, while currently, the complaints of missing and kidnapped children were being received by Police 15, police stations, CPLC, and Zainab and Zara Alert.

A CPLC official said the information of missing children was sent to the relevant district police officer through Zara and Zainab Alert, and the CPLC remained in touch with the district police for monitoring such cases.

The IGP said cases should be registered immediately on the complaints related to the missing and kidnapped children and in this regard, the CPLC must share the complaints with the IG Complaint Cell that would ensure overall steps to compile the data of the missing children's complaints.

The provincial police chief directed an IG Complaint Cell assistant to not only share information related to the recovery of the missing children regularly on Zara and Zainab Alert, but also ensure its availability at single click by integrating the data related to such children with all the relevant agencies.

The IGP said the CPLC, Sindh police's human rights department, complaint cell, police stations, Anti-Violent Crime Cell and other government and social organisations should ensure steps to compile data related to complaints and recovery of missing children and in this regard an inter-provincial communication system with other provinces and federation should also be improved. In addition, all the district police officers were directed to register cases related to human trafficking under the Trafficking in Persons Act 2018.