Punjab local justice/access to justice programme to be launched

The Punjab government intends to launch a province-wide Punjab Local Justice/Access to Justice Programme with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank and other donors. This programme will support existing initiatives and undertake new interventions.
The reform agenda focuses on police, prosecution, judiciary, and legal education. Ensuring an independent, accountable transparent and professional police service free from political interference, fostering better police citizen relationship, modernising police investigation techniques and processes, ensuring compliance with human rights.
To ensure an independent, accountable, transparent and professional prosecution service, developing processes to ensure that only cases fit for trial are submitted to and prosecuted in courts, ensuring integrity systems, establishment of an professional and competent inspectorate of the prosecution service for monitoring and evaluation of prosecution services.
Capacity building of judicial officers, introducing modern and professional court management techniques, improving judicial governance, reform of civil and criminal process to ensure justice in an efficient manner, creating a mechanism for enforcement of regulatory laws.
Improving standards in jail to ensure healthy and hygienic living, increasing transparency in jail administration procedures, ensuring quick and secure transport of prisoners, introducing statutory sentencing guidelines providing for non-custodial sentences in minor offences, strengthening institutions dealing with non-custodial sentences. Working towards improvement in publicly-owned legal education institutions, formulating and enforcing parameters for quality legal education.
To provide security and ensue equal protection to citizens of Punjab under the law, particular to the poor government would take necessary steps to improve the present police and judicial system.
The steps include capacity building of Punjab police, development of model systems for four police stations, creation of citizen councils, establishment of Judicial Academy at Lahore, construction of regional and district offices of Public Prosecution department. Construction of 11 consumer protection courts in Punjab, establishment of Directorate and training institute of private security personnel. Establishment of rehabilitation facilities in Punjab Prisons, development of framework/provision of legal aid for indigent accused, establishment of canine unit in Punjab and conducting crime survey in Punjab.