ISLAMABAD: After banks, the capital police also served notices on a number of filling stations to enhance their security to avoid robberies.

Police officials told Dawn that the notices were served on over two dozen filling stations located at the G.T. Road in Tarnol. The owners and administrations of the stations were asked to strengthen the security within a fortnight.

The notices stated that legal action would be taken in case of their failure to follow the instructions.

The officials said similar notices would soon also be served on filling stations located in other parts of the city, especially in rural areas.

They said banks located in the rural and border areas of the capital were vulnerable to armed robberies. Sources said the police issued the notices after the recent Rs8 million robbery at a bank in Tarlai.

The interior ministry suspended two police officers and issued a show-cause notice to the superintendent of the area police over the incident.

To avoid any action, the police officers are taking such steps to counter more robberies, they added.

The notices were served on the bank managements last week, making them responsible for strengthening the security measures.

The officials said some of the banks had already followed the instructions issued to them by the police.

Bank robberies have been one of the major sources of finance for militant groups and police officers feared that filling stations, especially those located in the rural and border areas and highways, were also vulnerable.

The filling stations were asked to construct proper bunkers inside their premises besides deploying at least one guard on the rooftop of the buildings. Similarly, they were given the concept of a panic button already under the use of educational institutes and media houses to alert the police in case of any untoward incident.

They were also asked to get the credentials of their security guards verified and if necessary trained them by the police.

The hiring of physically fit guards not above the age of 50 was also suggested.

The owners and managements of the filling stations were given a fortnight to follow the instructions in order to avoid legal action against them. The inspection of the security arrangements would be conducted after the expiry of the period.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play