RAWALPINDI: The police have directed the administrations of all college hostels to build bunkers on the rooftops of their buildings and deploy trained gunmen there to avert any terrorist activity.

They were also asked to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) prepared by the police before the educational institutions opened after the winter vacation.

The SOP, which was prepared for the security of government-run colleges and hostels, would also be applicable on all private colleges and hostels.

The law enforcement agencies and the education department decided to enhance the security arrangements after the December 16 terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.

The directives to the administrations of the hostels to strengthen security and erect bunkers with sandbags and deployment of armed security guards were issued by Regional Police Officer (RPO) Akhtar Umar Hayat Laleka on Tuesday.

According to the police directives, it would be compulsory for the administrations of the hostels to deploy security guards in their buildings round the clock and in schools during working hours.

Most of the colleges in Rawalpindi had already been directed to install walk-through gates and raise their boundary walls to eight feet with a two-foot-high razor wire on their top.

“Walk-through gates and security guards have been made compulsory for colleges and hostels,” the RPO said, adding the quick response unit of the police would be on a standby at the police lines to meet any emergency situation.

Besides, the administrations of colleges had also been directed to erect barriers at the entry gates with a security guard deployed there who would collect the particulars of the visitors and students.

There are 92 private and government colleges in the Rawalpindi division of which 46 are in the Rawalpindi city, including 29 colleges for females.

Besides, there are 17 colleges in Attock, 18 in Chakwal and 11 in Jhelum. The RPO told Dawn that the instructions regarding the security of schools and colleges had been passed on to the people concerned.

He said after the end of the winter vacations, the police would start patrolling around the schools and colleges.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2014