Over 84,500 complaints filed against Punjab Police in seven months

LAHORE: More than 84,500 complaints were lodged against the Punjab Police during the first seven months of 2026, with failure to register cases, poor investigations and alleged corruption emerging as the major concerns raised by citizens.

According to official figures cited by The Express Tribune, around 39,000 complaints were related to the alleged refusal or failure of police to register cases. Authorities said approximately 37,500 of these complaints had been resolved.

The second-largest category involved poor investigations, with nearly 19,300 complaints recorded during the period. About 17,600 of these cases were reportedly addressed.

The complaints in this category included allegations of delays in arresting suspects, failure to recover stolen property, flawed investigations, failure to arrest proclaimed offenders and demands for changing investigating officers.

Another major concern was alleged corruption and bribery within the police department. Around 14,700 complaints were filed under this category, of which approximately 13,500 were said to have been resolved.

Citizens also lodged nearly 6,400 complaints concerning police services, while around 470 complaints were made directly against police officers and employees.

Overall, officials said about 94 per cent of the complaints received by the Punjab Inspector General of Police’s Complaint Cell had been resolved, leaving six per cent pending.

The figures have nevertheless raised questions among legal experts about whether complaint disposal is translating into meaningful accountability and improvements in policing.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has directed the Punjab police chief to personally monitor the performance of officers and ensure timely redressal of public complaints.

Police authorities said complaints were being handled through a systematic mechanism. Relevant officers were issued directions, while progress on cases was regularly monitored, they added.

Punjab Police has an established Complaint Management System through which citizens can lodge and track grievances, while its IGP Complaint Centre can receive complaints through calls and SMS. The official system is designed to monitor complaints until their resolution.

However, legal experts argue that simply marking complaints as resolved does not necessarily mean that the underlying misconduct has been properly addressed.

Constitutional and legal expert Mian Dawood, Advocate, criticised the existing mechanism, arguing that authorities often rely on departmental inquiries and minor disciplinary measures instead of pursuing legal action where police officials are found guilty of misconduct or faulty investigations.

He said the Police Order 2002 and relevant provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code provide mechanisms for action against officials involved in misuse of authority and faulty investigations.

Another legal expert, Malik Pervez Iqbal Umavi, alleged that political influence over police appointments and postings had contributed to weak accountability. He also claimed that junior officers were sometimes posted at important police stations and district police offices.

The scale of complaints presents a challenge for Punjab’s police leadership. While the high disposal rate suggests an active grievance-redressal mechanism, the sheer volume of complaints also highlights persistent concerns over FIR registration, investigations, corruption and public dealing.

For citizens, the crucial question remains whether complaints are merely being closed on paper — or whether they are leading to lasting changes in police conduct and accountability.