ATTOCK, Sept 12: The performance of the district police in controlling robberies, street crimes, maintaining law and order and combating terrorism has been affected by shortage of staff, lack of investigation system and equipment.

Currently, only 18 per cent of the total required manpower of the district police is available, it has been learnt.

Attock has 14 police stations and six police circles with 5,066 required personnel including 2,146 constables, 446 head constables, 254 assistant sub-inspectors, 190 sub-inspectors and 30 inspectors.

However, only 922 police officials including 660 constables, 123 head-constables, 55 ASIs, 62 SIs and 22 inspectors are available with the police. Besides, the police also face shortage of sophisticated weapons, equipment and other essential resources like metal dictators, walk-through gates and armed personnel carriers.

Due to lack of force, equipment and other modern resources, the police force is unable to stop criminals and outlaws from entering the district with illegal arms and drugs from the NWFP, sources observed. The situation has further aggravated after the shifting of displaced people from Bajaur, Swat and other areas of NWFP to Attock due to military operation there.

A large number of Afghan refugees are also living in various areas of the district. The Attock city has been under ‘high alert’ since two terrorism incidents at Kamra Cantonment and blowing up of 24 CD/video shops in a local market on Aug 24 reportedly by Tehrik-i-Taliban. No prompt measures have been taken for improving the security of ordinary citizens and strengthening the police force due to unknown reasons.

The crime graph in Attock has been going up for the last few months as the number of heinous crimes particularly robbery, theft and vehicle snatching incidents have been reported in the jurisdiction of various police stations, causing a sense of insecurity among the citizens.

Moreover, residents of villages situated near the Indus river are totally at the mercy of gangs of robbers who enter the areas without any fear and escape easily after committing crime.