LARKANA, April 17: The district is facing a shortage of police as the Sindh government has not provided the sanctioned strength to run 16 police stations created in the second tenure of Benazir Bhutto.

Talking to this correspondent on Friday, DPO Larkana Abdul Majeed Dasti said the police stations were established from 1991 to 1994 through different notifications.

He said the Sindh police was contacted time and again and conveyed about the early sanction of the strength but request had yet not been matured.

The DPO said in a recent communication with regional police officer Sukkur range, Rahoo Khan Brohi, we demanded 1,305 constables, 51 drivers, 283 head constables, five inspectors, 37 sub-inspectors and 99 assistant sub-inspectors.

He said at present the district had strength of around 4200 and only by utilizing this strength of force 16 new police stations were looked after in addition to 25 old police stations, as there were 41 police stations in the district.

A good number of police had been engaged in what the DPO called miscellaneous duties and police was under heavy pressure to perform.

Also around 114 police strength including different ranks had been withdrawn for the Police Training School Larkana in 1997, the DPO added.

The DPO demanded that at least 1000 police personnel should be sanctioned on the priority basis to improve the law and order situation in the district.

Not only this but there is a dire need of vehicles for the district.

The DPO office wrote to the RPO Sukkur on Jan 20 demanding at least 33 new vans for the proper maintenance of law and order situation in the district.

The police officials said in spite of such tight position, around 75 pickets had been established along the Indus Highway and to protect the kutcha area some 32 pickets were set up along the flood protective bund.