Sindh’s top cop does not want youth to hesitate to join police force

The youth should take the Central Superior Services (CSS) examinations to join civil services and not hesitate to join the police force, said the Sindh police chief on Saturday night.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Syed Kaleem Imam said that though the police system and culture have improved a lot, there is still room for improvement. “Our students are the future decision-makers of the country.”

The IGP admitted that Karachi has seen the worst situation of law and order in the past, but he stressed that significant improvement is evident now. “The Sindh police are ensuring transparency and hiring on merit in the department, and promoting community policing to ensure a crime-free city.”

He said that it is difficult to completely eradicate crime from society, but with the induction of educated youth, the Sindh police will be able to change the people’s perception about the law enforcement agency besides bringing positive changes in the policing system.

Dr Imam expressed these views as the chief guest of the Alumni Dinner of the Department of Public Administration (DPA) at the University of Karachi. The dinner gala was held in the DPA Building.

“I am a proud alumnus of the Karachi University. I got my master’s degree in philosophy in 1986, and due to the training by my KU teachers, I succeeded in the CSS exams and was later deployed in police services,” said the top cop.

He informed the audience that around 2,600 police officials have laid down their lives in the line of duty while thousands have been severely injured, which is proof of the law enforcement department’s endless commitment to the nation.

He thanked KU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi for inviting him to his alma mater, and expressed his interest in starting different programmes on drug awareness and community policing at the university.

He also called for mutual efforts to raise awareness among the masses so they can become law abiding citizens. He said the Sindh police want the KU faculty to collaborate with the police department in training its trainers and investigators.

Promising future

In his welcome address earlier, Dr Iraqi said the DPA has a rich past and a promising future for its current students. He said the departmental alumni are serving on key posts in national and international corporate sectors.

“We started this department with one degree programme and 25 students, and in just 20 years, we have significantly grown to eight degree programmes in which around 2,000 students are enrolled,” said the VC.

“We are one family and our alumni are a pivotal part of our family. I urge my students to go for civil services and join the public sector.”

Dr Iraqi informed the audience that Prof Dr Arshad Syed Karim, Prof Dr Abuzar Wajdi, Prof Dr Syed Humayun and other teachers have played a very important role in developing the DPA and its significant market growth.

He lauded the role of Dr Imam in the police, mentioning that the province’s top cop has brought a number of reforms in the policing system and started advanced level training for the police force.

Key positions

Hamdard University VC Prof Dr Shabibul Hasan said the students of KU’s DPA are serving on key national and international positions. Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari VC Prof Dr Akhtar Baloch said that three DPA professors are serving as VCs of three universities, which is a proud moment for everyone.

Dr Karim said the ratio of participation of Karachi students in the CSS exams is quite less. He said students should take the CSS exams, and after qualifying, they must join civil services for better future of society. He added that the zoology and public administration departments have produced three VCs to date.

The event set several milestones with the launch of multiple new ventures, including the first-ever eGD (electronic graduate directory) programme, which carries video profiles of the graduates.

In collaboration with Smartlife, the DPA Smart App and the smart card were inaugurated that offer multiple services and discounts to the DPAians and will bring all of them under one network.

Two clubs were also started, namely the DPA HR Club and the DPA Entrepreneurs’ Club. The major purpose of these clubs is to practically utilise and streamline the learning of the alumni in favour of current students. These initiatives are the first of their kind among the academic fraternity, at least locally.