LAHORE: Following widespread speculation and misinterpretation on social media platforms, the Lahore Police Operations Wing issued an official clarification regarding updated operational protocols for female citizens visiting police stations during evening and night hours.

The policy review came in the immediate aftermath of the Ghaziabad police station incident, which raised critical questions regarding citizen safety, duty protocols, and female representation within local precincts. Rumors circulating across online message boards had alleged that female visitors were being turned away or barred from entering police stations after sunset without a male guardian.

Countering these rumors, DIG Operations Lahore Muhammad Faisal Kamran issued an explicit policy document clarifying that no restriction exists on female citizens accessing law enforcement facilities at any hour of the day or night. Local media channels, including Dunya News and Express News, broadcast the police chief’s directive, emphasizing that police stations remain public protection sanctuaries accessible 24/7.

The updated guidelines stipulate that whenever a female complainant, witness, or visitor enters a police station during night hours, the station desk must immediately assign a designated female police constable (Lady Police Helper) to facilitate her interaction. Furthermore, all formal statements and interactions must take place exclusively in the publicly visible, monitored Front Desk or Help Desk areas, which are under continuous CCTV coverage linked directly to the Central Operations Room.

“Police stations are public institutions designed to protect citizens, not intimidate them,” DIG Faisal Kamran emphasized during an administrative conference with division SPs and SHOs. “The updated SOPs are crafted to protect female visitors from procedural high-handedness while ensuring that duty officers operate under absolute oversight. Any officer attempting to turn away a female complainant under the guise of nighttime rules will face immediate disciplinary action.”

To support these guidelines, the Lahore Police Operations Wing has directed the deployment of additional female officers across all 84 precincts in the provincial capital, while expanding dedicated Women Help Desks in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).