Customs teams to be provided police support to expedite operations against smuggling: IG Punjab.

LAHORE: Inspector General Police Punjab (IGPP) Inam Ghani on Friday said that joint operations of police and customs teams should be carried out to eradicate smuggling across the province and police support be provided to the custom teams on priority basis so that no stone is left unturned in eradicating anti-social elements involved in the heinous smuggling.

He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting at the Central Police Office on the assistance of the police force in customs operations. The meeting was attended by Basit Maqsood Abbasi, Collector Customs and Asad Rizvi, Regional Director Customs Intelligence.

The police chief said that if the siege against big fish is tightened to curb smuggling, then the small fish will run away on their own. Therefore, joint operations should be carried out on the basis of information sharing against the culprits involved in the heinous business of smuggling so that the smugglers are caught and be taken behind the bars.

He directed the CCPO Lahore and Additional IG Special Branch to hold monthly meetings with the customs officers to put an end to smuggling and maintain close coordination on the cases and operations registered.

He further said that Additional IG Operations should write a letter to all DPOs to provide all possible police support to the customs teams during the operations so that the DPOs would take all possible steps under their supervision in this regard. He further said that a detailed report on the cases registered in the customs complaint across the province and the latest status of investigation on them should be presented in the next meeting.

The IG Punjab...