RAWALPINDI – Superintendent of Police Beenish Fatima, who is currently serving as Rawalpindi Chief Traffic Officer (CTO), has received the prestigious ‘2024 IACP 40 Under 40’ award by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
She was selected from hundreds of candidates nominated from across the world. The award was presented to him at ceremony held in Boston, United States. Beenish Fatima was presented the award by the IACP president.
According to the IACP’s website, the “awardees represent the top rising leaders from around the globe, exemplifying leadership, dedication, and service to their communities and the law enforcement profession”.
The Punjab Police also celebrated the achievement of the SP. Taking to X, it called it a “Proud moment for Pakistan!”
It added: “SP Beenish Fatima, working as Chief Traffic Officer Rawalpindi, is the only one in Pakistan who got selected for this award.”
Superintendent Beenish Fatima is a trailblazer in Pakistan’s police community. Driven by her desire to address societal inequities and the underrepresentation of women in policing, SP Fatima—first woman in the history of the Punjab Police to lead its Organized Crime Unit—has addressed challenges for women ranging from childcare for officers to female facilities at police headquarters to drafting policies to eliminate gender barriers.
Under her leadership, the Organized Crime Unit has tirelessly pursued criminal gangs and apprehended numerous suspects wanted for violent crimes. Including nine gangs in her first three months, alone. However, SP Fatima’s impact goes beyond her operational successes—her efforts to improve her unit have included the introduction of anti-bias psychological testing, the recruitment of new investigators, the enhancement of technology utilization and tracing mechanisms, and the oversight of the construction of state-of-the-art unit facilities. These initiatives have significantly improved the unit’s efficiency and effectiveness in combating organized crime.
Throughout her career, SP Fatima has shown a deep commitment to improving access to police services for vulnerable communities. She initiated and established the first Tahaffuz Center in Punjab, a crime reporting center and help desk dedicated to serving the transgender community, eventually hiring the first cohort of transgender victim support officers. She also established the first Meesaq Centre in Islamabad, a police help desk and reporting center for religious minorities.
