PESHAWAR: The police on Friday finalised a three-layer security plan for churches and residential localities of Christians here during Christmas celebrations.

According to the plan, around 1,500 police personnel will be deployed inside and outside churches across the district and they will be supported by the Ababeel Squad patrols.

Also, around 1,000 officials will perform traffic duty.

The plan was finalised during a high-level meeting chaired by CCPO Abbas Ahsan at the Police Lines here.

The participants reviewed security arrangements for Christmas events in the district.

Under plans, security measures will be monitored through CCTV cameras, while the anti-terrorism squad, bomb disposal unit, women police will assist police through sniffer dogs and other equipment to ensure foolproof security of churches and worshipers.

All visitors will be searched before being allowed to enter the premises. The anti-terrorism squad, bomb disposal unit, canine unit and policemen have already been put on high alert.

The CCPO directed all police officers and field staff to keep a close eye on suspected people or objects in their surroundings and increasing patrolling, mainly on the entry points to Peshawar from other districts.

He said that the police would also monitor the people’s movement through drone cameras to avert any untoward incident.

“The provision of security to all religious minorities is one of the top priorities of the police department. I will not tolerate any leniency on part of the deployed staff,” he said.

The CCPO said that a three-layer security adopted for the protection of participants of Christmas events in and out of their worship places.

He said that the police would check the movement of the people on entry points near churches.

Meanwhile, FatherShahzad Murad, the pastor at the All Saints Church Kohati Gate, told Dawn that the police had taken sufficient arrangements for security.

He said that the Christmas celebrations would be arranged in about 40 worship places including two main churches in Saddar in the provincial metropolis today (Saturday).

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2021