Punjab to Launch New ‘Riot Management’ Force
Punjab to Launch New ‘Riot Management’ Force
LAHORE: A proposal submitted to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz suggests the establishment of a new ‘riot management police’ (RMP), which would comprise 5,000 members to manage large gatherings and aggressive demonstrations.
The summary, prompted by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. Usman Anwar, received approval from the chief minister after she and DIG Athar Waheed informed her about the importance of the force. The RMP is set to be established under the contentious Right to Peaceful Protest Act of 2024. Based in Lahore, the force will be led by an officer at least of DIG rank and supported by a superintendent of police (SP). It will feature eight regional offices, each managed by a regional SP. An official told Dawn that the RMP will initially operate in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, and Sargodha, with plans to extend its reach to other significant districts later. Providing details, the official mentioned that senior Punjab police officials developed the proposal for the RMP in response to the May 9, 2023 incidents, which resulted in damage to both public and private property and injuries to law enforcement. He added that the 30-page draft for the proposed RMP was created by DIG Athar Waheed, Lahore’s Chief Traffic Officer (CTO). Discussing the project’s key features, he noted that the RMP would be among the few police forces in the country permitted to suggest penalties for damages incurred to public and private property by protesters. “Those who attack or organize violent protests would be required to compensate for the damage caused to the state and its citizens,” the proposed legislative framework for the initiative outlines, as noted by Dawn. The draft states that the force will receive training in non-lethal intervention methods, communication, and negotiation tactics with protest leaders. At the same time, personnel will be equipped with psychological training to better grasp crowd dynamics and predict actions. Regarding equipment and logistics, the summary suggests advanced non-lethal crowd control measures like tear gas, sound cannons, rubber bullets, electric shock shields, surveillance tools, and enhanced communication systems to facilitate improved coordination between field units and command centers. This crowd control gear will be vital for the RMP’s role in managing and dispersing crowds during protests and demonstrations. For the first time, the proposed RMP would include specially trained dogs to assist in crowd dispersal, apprehending protesters, and serving as a deterrent against unlawful activities, according to the summary. The proposal also includes bullet-proof vehicles for both the additional IG and the DIG RMP Punjab, along with 650 other vehicles such as armored anti-riot trucks, water cannons, heavy cranes, loader trucks, armored ambulances, and other specialized vehicles equipped with tracking systems. To conclude the proposal, officials stated that while most protests and demonstrations in Punjab were peaceful, a number did escalate into riots, resulting in violence, property damage, injuries, and loss of life.
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