ATTOCK, Nov 10: The Attock district police faces a 20 per cent force shortage and lack of security logistics despite its commitment to foolproof security measures during Muharram.

Police sources said the Attock district has 14 police stations and six police circles, requiring strength of about 3,029 police officials, but instead they had only 2,478 officials. This 20 per cent shortage makes it difficult to maintain law and order in the district, sources said.

Apart from the lack of officials, the police also face severe shortage of weapons and other security equipments, making it difficult to guard sensitive buildings, investigate cases, and arrest criminals and terrorists.

Attock has sensitive defence installations and shares a 250km-long border with four Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) districts namely Nowshera, Swabi, Haripur and Kohat. It has faced a number of kidnapping-for-ransom cases and three terrorist activities in the recent pastThe sensitive Kamra Cantonment and video shops at a local market had been blown up in August 2008 by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In another incident, a Polish engineer, Poitr Stancza, had been kidnapped from Jand on Sept 28, 2009, and later executed by the militants.

Furthermore, the 30km dried portion of Indus River from Ghorghusti to Attock bridge along the KPK border poses security threats as terrorists and criminals are able to move across the border with ease. Recently, the Punjab government established riverine posts near Attock Khurd and Jand but the police lack specialised weapons and gadgets necessary for surveillance.

Upon contact, the district police officer (DPO), Mohammad Hilal Khan, admitted that the police was facing 20 per cent shortage of force. However he said the fulfillment of posts of Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) and Assistant Superintendent Police (ASP) were very important because of their supervisory role.

The DPO said the strength of woman constables had to be increased to 120 against the existing 24 posts.  Only 11 woman police officials were available for the whole district, he said.

He said the provision of weapons and other logistics was essential, particularly the provision of Small Machine Guns (SMGs), adding that the demands had already been made.