KARACHI: While more than 3,200 personnel of the city traffic police are set to be transferred to their hometowns in different districts of Sindh after completion of their five-year deputation period in Karachi, a ‘serious human resource crisis’ is emerging before the law-enforcement department, which is now struggling to meet the shortage of personnel by offering them the option to stay on in Karachi.

       The Karachi police have offered the personnel to be absorbed in the city police service structure, officials and sources told Dawn.

       Recruited in 2016 in different Sindh districts, some 3,200 personnel were transferred to Karachi for a five-year period in the name of meeting the shortage in the traffic section of the police department.

       Immediately after their transfer in the second half of 2016, they started serving in the city traffic police and had completed their five-year term in late 2021.

       These policemen were recruited in different districts in 2016 and transferred to metropolis

       “These 3,200 personnel would be transferred in phases,” said an official.

       “To avoid sudden shortage in the Karachi traffic police department, which is already serving under its sanctioned strength, each month around 300 personnel will be sent back to their respective districts. It is expected that the process will take nine to 10 months to complete. The process of transfer is well-defined and has been conveyed to all these personnel.”

       500 to be absorbed in Karachi police

       However, a crisis-like situation is likely to emerge and it may badly impact the management and operation of the traffic police in Karachi, the officials added.

       “It will not be easy to transfer 300 personnel every month without new induction in police,” the officials said.

       “So to avoid this crisis, we have moved a few things to adjust the maximum number of these 3,200 personnel into the Karachi police force,” DIG-traffic Ahmed Nawaz told Dawn. “We want to retain them, but at the same time, the personnel have their own different apprehensions regarding their stay in the Karachi traffic police. So we have devised a strategy.”

       “We took it to the inspector general of Sindh police and the promotion board and finally came up with a proposal. Under the proposal, the personnel are offered to stay on in Karachi. The personnel, who want to stay on in Karachi and serve here, will be absorbed in the Karachi police with due seniority and other benefits,” the DIG said, adding: “So far, some 500 of them have showed willingness to accept the offer to continue to serve in Karachi.”

       New inductions

       The DIG said with this new arrangement and some 7,000 new recruitments being made as part of the Karachi police induction process, the city traffic police would be able to tackle the situation within a few months.

       With the sanctioned strength of 10,000 personnel, the Karachi traffic police were serving with a little more than 6,500 personnel, he added.

       The Sindh police department is in the process of inducting more than 10,000 men and women — with a major chunk of recruitment from Karachi youth having city domicile — in one of its massive recruitment drives announced after years.

       The Sindh police are filling 10,490 vacancies with 6,655 recruitments for Karachi Range alone.

       Under the plan announced by the Sindh police for the Karachi police force, the law-enforcement agency is inducting 6,655 youngsters as constables from all eight districts — South, West, Central, East, Keamari, Malir, City and Korangi — of its organisational structure in the metropolis.

       Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2022