NOWSHERA: The American Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section (INL) director Gregory Schiffer held a joint groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday with additional IGP Mohammad Naeem Khan for phase-II construction of the Joint Police Training Center (JPTC), costing Rs924 million.

A statement issued here said that the phase-II construction of JPTC would double the facility’s current training capacity. It said that since 2011, INL had assisted the KP police with more than Rs1 billion for the construction of JPTC phase-I as well as Rs196 million worth of equipment support.

Since its launch in June 2014, over 4,000 KP police personnel, including over 100 female police commandos, were trained at JPTC.

“Today’s event marks another step in the long partnership between INL and the KP police,” Schiffer said. “The JPTC has established itself as a premier facility providing training for hundreds of KP police officers on modern policing practices, investigations and command level courses.

It has helped the KP police develop its own specialised training capacity to respond to emergencies, including terrorism-related cases.”

Schiffer also noted the proud partnership between INL and KP police for the past 15 years, and recognised the UNDP’s contribution to the JPTC phase-II project as INL’s implementing partner.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2018