PB govt notifies appointment of DSPs & SPs for recently created investigation cadre posts

The Punjab government has notified the appointment of DSPs and SPs for the recently created posts in investigation cadre, separated from the Law and Order Department of the Punjab Police.

This move was in line with the Supreme Court's order on police reforms.

The names of officers were notified on Saturday against 108 posts of deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) and 28 posts of superintendents of police, which were created on February 8, for effective supervision of investigations.

A Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting for screening eligible inspectors for promotion to the DSP rank was held on February 22, and 163 inspectors were promoted as DSPs on March 5, an official release said.

Fifty-seven DSPs were placed as officiating superintendents of police (SP) on March 5, after screening by a Departmental Screening Committee (DSC) on December 28, 2018.

The SPs have been posted in every district and commissionerate to look after the work of Punjab Bureau of Investigations, organised crime and narcotics. The aim is to ensure focused attention on investigations, organised crime and the anti-drug drive of the state government, it said.

The state government has also posted DSPs to look after specialised crime investigations, including crime against women and children, financial crime, technical support and forensics, anti-narcotics, criminal groups and cyber-crime and cyber forensics.

This is the first time that gazetted officers have been posted in every district and police commissionerate, and have been assigned specialised crimes to focus upon, it said.

"This innovation will effectively ensure the separation of investigation function of the police from the law and order function, go a long way in implementing the Supreme Court directions and, improve the quality of investigation," it said.

Notably, in July last year, the apex court had issued a slew of directions on police reforms in the country.