Punjab Police tighten sexual crime probes with new procedure

#Punjab #Police #tighten #sexual #crime #probes #procedure

LAHORE: Punjab Police has developed an formal procedure for access to the “Register of National Sexual Criminals” (SOR), maintained by the National Police Bureau (NPB) in Islamabad, in an attempt to strengthen the investigation of sexual offenses.

According to the documents, a directive issued by the Punjab Additional Inspector General (Investigation) has outlined specific measures to recover the criminal history of the suspects involved in sexual offenses. The directive has been sent to the entire Capital City Police Officers (CCPOs), Regional Police Officers (RPOs), City Police Officers (CPOs) and District Police Officers (DPOs) across the province.

The SOR has been working in the NPB since January 2024 and has a nationwide figure about convicted sexual criminals, including his criminal history, biometric forensic records and the last known addresses.

It is expected that the central database is expected to investigate and investigate sexual harassment and assault cases and increase legal proceedings against them by helping the identity of law enforcement personnel repeating and rapidly collecting background intelligence.

Under the guidelines presented in compliance with the SOPS issued on 2023, 2023, and August 22, 2024, the investigating officers (IOS) now need to request a record of the accused named suspects, which will be included in the Anti -Form, and a full -fledged case. District Public Prosecutor (DPP) was presented. A copy should also be sent to the relevant DPO.

The protocol investigation is strictly forbidden to find a criminal record for unrelated persons in the case. On receipt, the DPP has been given the task of verifying the documents and ensuring the application compatibility.

If the application is considered satisfactory, the DPP must send it to NPB within 48 hours.

If the documents are incomplete or the rationality is uncertain, the DPP has been instructed to return the application and seek clarification from the investigating officer.

Once the approval, the NPB will send the desired information back to the DPP, which will then send it to the investigating officer, with a clear advice that the data has to be used specifically for investigative purposes. Unauthorized use or disclosure of information will lead to disciplinary action under the relevant departmental rules.

Applicable legal provisions under which data can be requested include Section 375, 375A, 376, 377, 377A, 377B, 371A, 371B, 292A, 292B, 292c for Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), 2016 and 22 with 22 and 22 with 22 and 22 (PCA). With, 22 and 22.

Legal experts have welcomed the move. Syed Hassan Raza Shah, a criminal law expert in the Lahore High Court, called the data of sexual criminals a major development in combating crime.

“The computerized archives of serial criminals involved in mentally volatile and violent sexual assaults, especially against women, especially against women, have become mandatory in light of a dangerous increase in such cases,” he said.

Raza added that Punjab Police had already taken progressive steps by assigning women officers to handle sexual violence cases.

The move has helped build a more sympathetic and accountable policing environment for the victims, he said.

Sources within the police department also indicated that in cases of serial sex criminals, psychiatric assessments would be used using the services of mental health professionals to assess the mental state of the accused.

The purpose of these measures is to strengthen the police’s investigative ability while ensuring proper action and adhering to moral standards.

The establishment of this procedure reflects the use of a digital database to deal with a broader institutional change and repeated criminal dangers toward evidence -based policing, which emphasizes special emphasis on crimes that leave for lasting psychological trauma to victims and communities.