Rawalpindi Police Begin Overhaul of Lockup Security System

Police in Rawalpindi have launched a districtwide overhaul of security systems inside police stations and posts, ordering the replacement of all outdated lockup locks and a complete audit of shackles and handcuffs.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Malik Tariq Mehboob issued the directive after taking charge of the operations wing.

He instructed all station house officers (SHOs) and post in-charges to identify every lock that requires replacement and submit photographs of both old and newly installed locks, along with the names of the relevant stations and posts.

The SSP also ordered a detailed count of handcuffs kept in police stations. Officials must certify their condition, confirming whether each pair remains functional or requires disposal.

Under the new measures, muharrars must ensure that guards assigned to lockup duty wear bulletproof jackets and carry standard-issue weapons with 120 rounds of ammunition. Police will also deploy armed personnel on the rooftops of lockups where high-risk suspects are detained, with SHOs and night muharrars responsible for verifying these deployments and submitting compliance reports.

The SSP further directed SHOs to patrol with a gunman equipped with a bulletproof vest and weapons, in line with existing standard operating procedures.

Police units using Multicast Distribution Tree (MDT) wireless sets and tablets installed in patrol vehicles must keep the devices powered on at all times to maintain uninterrupted communication.