Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Sunday ordered a comprehensive overhaul of the Punjab police force, setting a strict three-month deadline for the implementation of sweeping reforms. Key measures include the installation of pink buttons outside police stations for immediate complaint registration, mandatory video and audio recording of all investigations, and a directive for officers to address every citizen with formal titles such as “Sir” and “Janaab”.
Technological upgrades include equipping ten personnel at each station with body cameras, for which funds have been approved for the procurement of 14,000 body cams and 700 pink buttons province-wide. An online system will also be introduced for registering FIRs for lost documents and identity cards.
To enhance accountability and gather public feedback, the Inspector General of Punjab Police and other senior officers will personally telephone citizens. In a move to streamline procedures, police have been directed to limit their questioning to a maximum of five essential questions during FIR registration and to resolve minor complaints within two to three hours.
The announcement comes alongside official data indicating a 48% decrease in overall crime and an 80% reduction in major crimes across Punjab. Authorities attribute the decline in negative perceptions to an improved response time of 80 minutes, while some cities, like Sahiwal and Gujrat, have reported negligible calls for serious crimes. A decrease in property-related disputes has also been cited as a factor in the reduced crime rate.
A key focus of the reform agenda is the safety of women and children, with the Chief Minister stating, “As long as I am here, I will not tolerate any daughter feeling unsafe.” Directives include the deployment of mobile police stations to assist women who cannot visit stations in person, and ensuring female complainants are encouraged and assisted, not humiliated. The policy emphasizes a zero-tolerance approach towards child abuse, including in educational institutions.
The Chief Minister stressed that a fundamental change in police culture is essential, stating that only criminals should fear law enforcement, not the public. The reforms will address the often “humiliating” treatment of individuals reporting harassment, with special grooming and mock training sessions planned for officers.
The strategy calls for making active policing more effective and preparing short-, mid-, and long-term reform blueprints. As part of this, a new Citizen Management System and e-Tag Information System are to be introduced. The Chief Minister also formally inaugurated the Traffic Police One App and the Safe City Monitoring App to strengthen public safety infrastructure.
In the same context, new directives have been issued to strictly enforce traffic lane discipline in Lahore and across the province, along with a public awareness campaign on safe road-crossing practices.