LAHORE(National Times)- Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has ordered the inspector general of police (IGP) to purge the force of “corrupt officials” within a week.

Presiding over a meeting on law and order here on Tuesday, the chief minister said maintaining peace and protecting the lives and property of citizens remained the government’s top priority.

The chief minister said police officers known for corruption should not be appointed as station house officers (SHOs) and called for strict action against corrupt officials. She also directed the police to intensify efforts to curb burglary and ordered a clean-up operation in Sheikhupura to eliminate crime.

The CM decided to bring the operational control of Dolphin Police under the jurisdiction of the respective police stations. She also set Sept 30 deadline for equipping Punjab Police personnel with body cameras. She sought a comprehensive plan to ensure effective control of crimes against women and children and ordered a zero-tolerance policy against those involved in such offences.

She also approved the installation of GPS devices and cameras in prisoner vans and directed the authorities to take strict action over incidents involving the escape of prisoners.

The meeting was told that the overall crime situation in the province had improved, with robberies declining by 54 per cent, murders by 35pc, car snatching by 46pc and motorcycle theft by 53pc. The chief minister said district police officers would be held accountable in districts where crime rates remained high.