DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Tuesday inaugurated the newly-established police training school here and announced that it would be made one of the best such facilities in the province.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the chief minister said the training duration of police would also be decreased from nine to three months.

He said efforts would be made to further improve other police training schools across the province.

Mr Gandapur said that a major recruitment drive would be started soon, while additional police personnel would be deployed in the field to control crime and bring durable peace in the province.

He said that his government would leave no stone unturned in enhancing police training, facilities and benefits.

The chief minister said that children of martyred police officials had been given their due rights promptly. Regarding promotions within the police department , Gandapur said that clear instructions had been issued to authorities to follow a merit-based policy.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by additional IG (training) Akhtar Abbas, DPO Sajjad Ahmed Sahibzada, PTI’s focal person for development Nawaz Khan and other senior police officers and personnel.

Earlier, the chief minister inspected various sections of the new training school building and witnessed a mock exercise performed by trainees.

He acknowledged the challenges posed by the province’s long porous border and the need to maintain peace. Mr Gandapur paid tribute to martyred law-enforcement and security personnel for rendering sacrifices to “protect the nation’s future.”

He said that after coming to power in the province, the PTI had made all-out efforts to address police-related issues and improve facilities for policemen.

“In the next two months, more protective equipment and modern vehicles will be provided to the police,” he said.

The chief minister noted that despite a lack of bulletproof vehicles, the province’s police had been bravely combating terrorists.

He said the provision of bulletproof vehicles to police was going to start from Dera Ismail Khan.

Mr Gandapur also said 30 police mobile vans would be equipped with bulletproof features in the current month, while 130 more such vehicles would be made bulletproof soon.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2025