The strengthening of the security and the judicial sectors will be continued under a re-elected government, the PPP/C says in its manifesto, while stressing on its commitment to safety and maintaining law and public order.
“Over the years, the successive PPP/C governments have pursued the objectives of strengthening the security and judicial sectors with significant success. In the area of policing and the criminal justice system the PPP/C will continue to focus on people’s experiences of insecurity and injustice,” the manifesto, which was released last Saturday, states.
According to the manifesto, the first duty of any government is keeping people safe. It says that our law enforcement agencies are entrusted with the crucial responsibility of maintaining law and public order, which forms one of the central pillars of our democracy. “We will continue to help make our streets safer and our borders more secure,” the PPP/C promised.
Among some of the commitments made in the manifesto are establishing a national emergency centre (911 system) that can be accessed 24-hours daily; reducing the average police response times to 15 to 30 minutes; enhancing the rehabilitative programmes at our prisons with emphasis on training for staff and offenders; ensuring that police officers work closely with the Education Ministry to reduce violence in school, drug abuse and the influence of criminal gangs in schools; revamping critical aspects of the law; and recruiting and retaining competent personnel to address issues related to child/sexual abuse, domestic violence, rape and the use of illicit substances through the establishment of a Special Crimes Unit.
The PPP/C also says that it will strengthen monitoring and legislative reforms to tackle robberies, burglaries, piracy, hijacking, trafficking in persons and abduction. A promise was also made to expand the use of technology for intelligence gathering, investigations and date/case management as well as maximising the use of the modern forensic laboratory to improve forensic and scientific approach to investigations.
