Islamabad - The Deputy Director Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement-Pakistan, Mike McKeown Thursday acknowledged the important role that the Frontier Constabulary was playing for security.

McKeown attended an inauguration ceremony at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House here to mark the completion of the INL-funded Frontier Constabulary’s Spina Thana Compound, and the delivery of INL-funded uniforms and personal ballistic body armour to Frontier Constabulary personnel, said a statement released by the US embassy.

The $ 2.62 million Spina Thana Compound project provides offices, residential housing, barracks, mess halls, sentry posts, and pickets for 900 FC personnel.

The inauguration ceremony also recognised the recent delivery of $3 million in INL-funded equipment, including 1,500 ballistic armoured vests and helmets, 30,000 sets of uniforms, 15,000 pair of boots, and 15,000 duty belts to the Frontier Constabulary.

McKeown, recognising the important role that the Frontier Constabulary plays in extending the writ of government and providing security, noted that the new Spina Thana compound was strategically located at the junction of Frontier Region Kohat, Frontier Region Peshawar, and Khyber Agency in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas; it was built adjacent to the INL-funded Frontier Corps and Levee Compounds completed in December 2015 and March 2016 at a cost of $1.93 million and $1.74 respectively.

FC Commandant Liaqat Ali Khan thanked McKeown and INL for the enormous support. “We hope for continued support between the FC and INL,” he added.

In addition to the $3 million in equipment provided so far in 2017, INL will also provide over $1.75 million in armoured personnel carriers to the Frontier Constabulary to help improve personal safety and extend the operational reach of the Frontier Constabulary in FATA.

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs works in more than 90 countries to help countries combat crime and corruption; counter drug-related crime; improve police institutions, and promote laws and court systems that are fair and accountable.