QUETTA: Inspector General of Balochistan Police Moazzam Jah Ansari has said that a proposal of establishing a police force, comprising around 1,500 personnel, exclusively for security duty in the city is under consideration.

Once established, the new force would help send police personnel deputed on security duty back to police stations, he said.

Talking to journalists at the press club here on Sunday, the IG said another motorcycle-borne force was being raised for patrolling roads of Quetta to keep an eye on suspects and provide security to people.

The Eagle Force comprising 400 personnel would be deployed in the provincial capital soon, he said. Two policemen equipped with weapons would patrol on one motorcycle.

The IG said that these days, personnel on security duty from the police, Frontier Constabulary and other security forces were the target of terrorists. However, he added, nefarious designs of terrorists would be foiled as the morale of the forces was high and they were fighting against terrorism with determination.

He said work was under way for preparing a strategy on modern lines to eliminate terrorism from the province.

The IG said recently 220 personnel of the Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) had completed their training while another badge of ATF personnel would be sent for the specialised training soon. He said the proposal for establishing the new force for security duty had been sent to the chief minister for approval.

The IG said everything did not need financial resources and many issues could be resolved through adopting better strategy and improving performance. “We need to improve administration in the police department with the help of competent senior officers to streamline police affairs,” Mr Ansari said.

Answering a question, he said senior officials of his department were working on a plan for establishing a forensic laboratory in Quetta. For the time being they have established a satellite station linking Quetta with the Punjab Forensic Laboratory for investigation of major incidents, including DNA tests. He said Rs1 billion was needed for the establishment of a forensic laboratory.

The IG said officials in the Balochistan police had been trained to investigate small incidents and vehicles had been prepared for collecting evidences from crime scenes.

In reply to a question about the Quetta Safe City Project, IG Ansari said that the project would take over one year to complete. Recently, a contract has been awarded to a company to execute the project. “Implementation of the project is necessary for restoring durable peace in Quetta,” he added.

The IG stressed the need for people’s cooperation in curbing terrorism. He asked people to help security forces in this regard.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2018