LAHORE: A psychotherapy session was organised for 100 unruly traffic wardens with a view to altering conduct with the public, according to sources.
Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Captain (retd) Ahmad Mobin and Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Captain (retd) Amin Wains organised the session due to the number of complaints being registered against wardens across the provincial capital. Reports of violence and misdemeanours occurring between officials and civilians contributed to the need for this session.
The CTO said, “The 100 wardens were chosen out of 2,900 according to their previous records and the number of objections raised against them in the past. These objections ranged from show cause notices to filed complaints against them.” He said that similar sessions were in the pipeline for the remaining wardens with bad records. He added that other than ensuring smooth flow of traffic on the city roads, raising awareness among the general public about the traffic rules was also the duty of the wardens.
The CCPO in his address to the wardens said, “The wardens have been vested with powers to deal with the ‘wrongdoers’ and instead of taking matters in their own hands in case of any untoward incident, they should report the issue to the local police.” He stated that such misdemeanour was discrediting the respected profession and institution of the traffic police. Wains suggested that the slogan of ‘Pehly Salam Phir Kalam’ (greeting before treating) was the best way to win over the public.
“If a citizen shouts at a warden, even then he (warden) should treat him politely,” the CCPO said, adding that he anticipated such sessions in the future.
A senior psychiatrist from College of Home Economics, Professor Farah Yaqoob, was especially invited to deliver a lecture to the wardens present in the session.
Farah said that the constant presence of the wardens on the noisy roads might leave a drastic impact on their behaviour. She defined noise as “an unwanted sound having different frequencies and acoustic pressure without any regular pattern”.
