How to Complain Against Police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: IGP Helpline, App and Complaint ID
Complain about a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police matter: the IGP Helpline channels, the complaint ID, the 24 hour contact promise, apps and when to call 15 instead.
Short answer: To complain about a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police matter, use the IGP Helpline. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police says you can reach it by SMS, free call, mobile app, WhatsApp, online portal, email, post or in person, and that you get a complaint ID to track progress. For a crime in progress, call 15 first.
A shopkeeper in Mardan waits weeks for news on a theft report. A family in Swat is unsure whom to ask about a delayed case. The police run their own complaint system for such situations, and many people do not know it exists. We read the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police website on 12 October 2026 to set out the routes it lists.
Use 15 for emergencies and the helpline for complaints
The two channels do different jobs. The emergency number 15 is for an incident happening now. The IGP Helpline is a public complaint redressal system, meant for complaints about service, conduct or delay.
The police website lists other emergency numbers too: Counter Terrorism Department 091-111-283-283, fire brigade 16, Edhi 115, Chhipa 1020 and Rescue 1122. Keep these apart from your complaint, so a real emergency never waits in a complaint queue.
The police website also provides a complaint portal named PAS, the Police Access Service, at complaints.kppolice.gov.pk, with a Register Complaint page.
The channels the IGP Helpline accepts
The website says people can send complaints to the IGP Helpline through any of the following. Pick the one you can use fastest, and keep a record of what you sent.
| Channel | What to do |
|---|---|
| SMS | Send your complaint as a text message |
| Free call | Call the helpline and speak to an operator |
| Mobile app | Use the police app, such as Police Dost |
| Online | Use the PAS complaint portal |
| WhatsApp, email, social media | Message the official accounts |
| Post, fax or in person | Write or go to the police office |
The page we read did not print the helpline's SMS or call number in the text we could extract. Take it from the police website or from the notice board at your police station.
What happens after you complain
The police say each complaint gets a unique complaint ID when it is registered in the automated system. You can track the progress with that ID. The system runs on timelines and sends notifications when a case is delayed.
The site also says that after an SMS, the concerned police officers will contact you within 24 hours. We could not test that promise ourselves, so treat it as the stated standard, not a guarantee.
On the home page, the counter showed 50,254 complaints in total, 46,975 resolved (93.4 per cent) and 3,279 in process (6.5 per cent). These are the police's own figures, and we did not audit them.
How to file a complaint that gets traced
- Write down who, where and when: the police station, the officer's name or badge if you know it, and the date and time.
- Keep copies of any receipt, FIR number or photo that supports you.
- Choose a channel from the table above and send the complaint in plain words.
- Note the complaint ID you receive and the date you sent it.
- Track the case with the ID and follow up if the 24 hour contact does not come.
Be exact and calm. A complaint that says "the officer demanded Rs 5,000 on 9 October at 4 pm" is easier to act on than one that says the police are corrupt.
Other KP police apps and where to go next
The police also list two apps for citizens. Police Dost lets you share information, report incidents and send complaints, with photos and videos, after you sign up with an OTP. The police say the details of citizens sharing information are kept secret.
The Emergency Helpline for Marginalized Segments app gives women, children, transgender persons, minorities and disabled persons a one-click SOS that triggers an automatic call and sends the location to a response team.
If the police route does not work, you can escalate to an independent body. The steps for the provincial ombudsman are in how to complain to the KP provincial ombudsman. Landlords and tenants who file a tenant registration form with the KP police use a separate service. A character certificate request is a separate service, covered in how to get a police character certificate online.
Common questions
How do I complain against police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?
Use the IGP Helpline by SMS, call, app, WhatsApp, online portal, email, post or in person, and keep your complaint ID.
Can I track my complaint?
Yes. The police say each complaint receives a unique ID and you can follow its status with it.
How soon will the police contact me?
The police website says concerned officers will contact the complainant within 24 hours after an SMS complaint.
Should I call the helpline in an emergency?
No. Call 15 for a crime in progress, and use the helpline for complaints.
Is the complainant's identity protected?
The Police Dost app description says the details of citizens sharing information are kept secret. Ask the operator what applies to your channel.
What if the police do not answer my complaint?
Escalate to the provincial ombudsman or send your tracking ID in a written follow-up to the IGP office at the Civil Secretariat, Peshawar.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the home page of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police website on 12 October 2026. The complaint portal at complaints.kppolice.gov.pk loads only in a browser, so we could not read its form fields, and the helpline's SMS number was not in the readable text. Check both on the police site before you rely on them.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
