CCTV cameras, walk through gates to be deployed outside churches
LAHORE: Punjab Inspector General Police (IGP) Arif Nawaz Khan on Monday stated that foolproof security should be provided to worship places, markets, and recreational sites in the province.
Addressing a meeting at Central Police Office (CPO) here on Monday, he directed that sensitive and A-category churches should be guarded by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and other law enforcement institutions. He also directed for combing and intelligence operations in the vicinity of the sensitive places.
Special Branch Additional IG Faisal Shahkar, Lahore CCPO Capt (r) Ameen Wains, CTD Additional IG Rai Muhammad Tahir, DIG Operations Amir Zulfqar Khan, Lahore DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf and other officials also attended the meeting.
In order to ensure efficient security, the IGP directed all District Police Officers (DPOs) to make an audit of on-duty security personnel at these worship places before the arrival of Christmas.
He also directed that the entrance and exit ways of churches should be equipped with closed-circuit cameras, metal detectors and walk through gates.
“Snipers should be deployed over tops of the churches and plain-clothed officials of police should be deployed inside,” said the IGP, adding that no one should be allowed to enter the premises without proper search.
In the session, security plan of churches came under observation in the aftermath of Quetta blast.
Giving directive to curb the growing encroachments in the city, he said that an anti-encroachment crackdown should be launched against these mafias with the help of concerned departments. It may be mentioned here that the encroachments are often a cause of traffic jams in the city.
Commenting further on the issue of security during the Christmas, IGP Arif directed that important roads of the city should be patrolled through the event.
Inter-district and inter-provincial check posts should beef up their monitoring procedures and leave no stone unturned in providing efficient security, he concluded.
