PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police is all set to mark August 4 as 'police martyrs' day, and pay tribute to over 1,200 policemen who lost their lives.

August 4 marks the death anniversary of Frontier Constabulary (FC) Commandant Safwat Ghayur who was killed in a suicide attack on a roundabout near his office in 2010.

Read more: Police to mark August 4 as ‘Youm-i-Shuhada’

"The KP police is a unique force," said Inspector General Police Nasir Khan Durrani. "From the ranks of constable to inspector general, they have rendered numerous sacrifices for the nation."

Inspector General Police Nasir Khan Durrani. — Photo by author

The IG told DawnNews that Youm-i-Shuhada is being observed through out the province to pay tribute to the martyrs and boost morale of the Ghazis.

"They [police] are ahead of all forces when it comes to countering terrorism," IG Nasir said.

According to the IG, more than 1,200 policemen have been martyred since 2006 in the war on terror. The IG added that no where else in the country does the police force face such dangers as the ones encountered by KP police.

Police and civil society have been marking Youm-i-Shuhada throughout the province for the past week — with banners of martyred policemen along with candlelight vigils in every city. However, Aug 4 is when KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak will attend the police martyr ceremony as chief guest.

Data obtained by DawnNews reveals a downward trend in the number of police killings in the past four years. At least 203 cops were killed in 2012, 126 in 2013, 102 in 2014 and 27 have lost their lives in 2015 so far. There has been a 70 per cent decrease in the first seven months of 2015 as compared to the same duration last year.

The photo shows a banner of martyred policemen. —Photo by author