QUETTA: Police and church representatives in Quetta have decided to keep security at high alert till Jan 1 in and around the worship places of Christian community, besides providing training to volunteers.

The decision was taken on Tuesday during a meeting between the church representatives and senior police officials.

The meeting was presided over by Deputy Inspector General Police, Quetta, Abdul Razzak Cheema.

It was decided to carry out complete body search and identification of all those entering churches; raise boundaries of all churches along with the running of barbed wires on boundary walls; installation of CCTV cameras, making those already installed more affective so as to enhance the vigil; and setting up control rooms at all worship places of Christians.

Besides, security at the places where mostly Christians live would also be improved.

DIG Cheema assured church representatives that the government would take all possible security steps at churches and other places of the community.

Meanwhile, investigation into the attack on the Bethel Memorial Methodist Church that claimed nine lives was under way. Police had announced Rs5 million for anyone providing information about the attackers and their facilitators.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2017