LAHORE, Sept 15: A batch of 100 jail warders of the Punjab Prisons Department is currently getting six-month counter-terrorism training at the Elite Police Training School, Baidian, and 200 others are receiving one-month gunfight training at the Army’s Attock Artillery Centre.

With the commencement of sessions on Sept 1, both training programmes are part of ongoing jail security reforms and capacity building of old as well as fresh jail warders keeping in view terrorism and security threats.

The provincial government has completed 50 per cent of the work on security improvement of the nine central jails, like construction of security enclosure walls around perimeters and related accessories.

On-training jail warders have also been picked from the 2,000 new recruits to train fresh blood for more professional approach.

Inspector General of Punjab Prisons Mian Farooq Nazir told Dawn that the nine-month training at the Elite Police Training School was part of establishment of 15-member Rapid Reaction Squad at each jail.

He said 480 warders would be getting training in phases for 32 jails, adding each member of the anti-terrorism force would not serve more than 10 years and would get replacement.

He said a summary had been moved to the government to fix 40 per cent special allowance for each member of the force but it would be subject to clearance of the annual physical fitness test. He said Rs6 million had been paid to the EPTS for training.

Mr Nazir said 100 warders of RRS would be deployed in the central jails after the six-month training.

The IG said around 2,400 warders would be getting army’s gunfight training in the ongoing fiscal year and a batch of 22 warders had already been dispatched to the Attock Artillery Centre.

He said the provincial government had already paid Rs7.5 million out of Rs15 million to the army for training. He said instructors of all jails also were part of the training programmes.

He said the department had already purchased arms and ammunition worth Rs70 million for jail force, which would be utilised only after they completed their training.