PESHAWAR, Aug 13: A total of 24,603 policemen would be deployed at 7,650 polling stations in the NWFP to maintain law and order during the two phases of local government elections to be held on 18th and 25th of this month.

The provincial government has also established a Crisis Management Cell at the Central Police Office (CPO) with 23 control rooms in each district, official sources told Dawn here on Saturday.

The cell would also get and compile the results of each district government elections through its control rooms, where district police officers (DPOs) would work as in-charge, they said.

The NWFP police have placed 4,876 policemen in the reserve force under a contingency plan who would be called in to assist the mainstream police in case of a law and order situation.

Interestingly, there is no mention of policewomen in the security plan.

The Frontier Constabulary would coordinate in patrolling on roads during the elections, while the Frontier Corps and Pakistan army would be alerted and requested to assist the police if the situation so demanded, the sources said.

According to police officials, 170 polling stations in the first phase of local government elections in the province are “highly sensitive” where extra deployment would be made to provide protection to candidates and their supporters.

They said that 70 polling stations in Peshawar, 62 in Dera Ismail Khan, 28 in Kohat and 10 in Karak district were highly sensitive.

Of the total 4,664 polling stations in the first phase of polls to be held on August 18 in 12 districts, 1,699 were “sensitive” where extra force would be deployed to maintain order.

Sources said that one head constable and three constables would be deployed at “normal” polling stations. One head constable and six constables would be deployed at “sensitive” polling stations. Likewise, one police officer, one head constable and seven constables would be asked to maintain law and order at the “highly sensitive” polling stations.

In the second phase of the polls, the NWFP police have declared 112 polling stations as “highly sensitive”. Officials said that 60 polling stations in Shangla, 24 in Kohistan, 15 in Hangu and 13 in Batgram districts were highly sensitive, requiring extra deployment.

Of the total 2,986 polling stations in the second phase of elections, to be held in 11 districts on August 25, the official sources said 1,935 were “normal” and 939 “sensitive”.

The DPOs, who were in-charge of their respective control rooms in 23 districts, had not so far demanded deployment of armoured personal carriers in their jurisdictions, the sources added.