SWABI: District Police Officer Sajjad Khan said here on Saturday that incidents of terrorism had increased in Swabi district during 2013 compared with the previous years.

Talking to this correspondent, he said that they had upgraded the police posts of Parmuli and Tordher to police stations to quell militancy while the number of police force would also be increased soon. “The government is devising a strategy to raise the strength of police,” he said.

The DPO said that in addition the establishment of new police lines was underway where training would be imparted to police keeping in view the latest developments. He said that the process to collect complete data of militants in the district and trace their affiliation with different groups was underway.

Record reveals that a total of 33 explosions occurred and 14 policemen were killed in terrorist activities in 2013 in the district. The main target of these militant attacks was the police and public and private schools.

The killed policemen also included a sub-inspector and ASI.

When contacted, families of the killed policemen said that they did not know how they would tackle the expenditures of their children.

In the last week of December 2013 gunmen opened fire on a polio vaccination team at Kala village, killing the accompanying policeman.

In June, gunmen killed two polio vaccinators in Malikabad region. In addition, two policemen were killed when they were on their way to provide security to a polio team in December.

In November suspected militants killed two policemen in an attack on Darang police post. Three days later 12 militants attacked Nathyan police post, but police repulsed the attack, killing four of them while the remaining suspects escaped.

When contacted, traffic police officials said that they had challaned numerous vehicles and collected Rs16 million fines from traffic rules violators in 2013.

Police sources said that they recovered 385 Kalashnikovs, 634 Kalakovs, 385 double-barrel guns, 675 shotguns, 4,281 pistols and 22 hand grenades during the year under review. “We also seized 532 kilogrammes of charas, 20 kilogrammes of opium, 25 kilogrammes of heroin and 506 bottles of wine. A total of 209 people were killed in different incidents in the district,” said an official.

Besides, bank robberies also increased. On May 22, robbers looted about Rs2 million from a UBL branch in Maini village while on April 2, unidentified men robbed Dagai branch of HBL. On May 31, 2011, four armed robbers took away Rs2.3 million from a NBP branch in Zarobi village. In October, two robbers were killed in a shootout after looting the MCB branch at Panjpir.