LAHORE - Punjab inspector general of police Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera ordered his force to step up security sweep and combing operations across the province.

The provincial police chief issued the directives while chairing the regional police officers’ conference at the central police office on Tuesday. DIG Shahid Hanif, Humayun Bashir Tarar, Ghazi Salahuddin and Abdul Ghaffar Qaisrani were also present in the meeting.

The IGP further said that all concerned departments should be consulted while finalising security plan for PSL final. Search and combing operations in all districts across the Punjab province and especially in Lahore should be given utmost attention.

Similarly, all available resources must be utilised to provide foolproof security to the educational institutions, particularly the ones with co-education, markets, parks, hospitals, courts, and all other important installments.

According to a police spokesman, all the regional and district police officers are strictly directed to ensure search operation in their respective areas on a daily basis. The security search should be conducted under the supervision of a police officer of the rank of SP or DSP. As part of the security search exercise, the police are hunting down terror suspects and their facilitators in Punjab.

The IGP said that search and combing operations should be conducted around Qaddafi stadium and in suburbs of Lahore on a daily basis but this should not create problems for citizens. The police chief also directed the field officers to ensure best security arrangements for Masajids, Imambargahs and worship places of minorities throughout the province.

On this occasion, the IGP directed the officers to ensure security of educational institutions and worship places by mobilizing the Police Response Units and Quick Response Force. The field officers must stay in close contact with administration of schools and colleges and management of worship places. The exercise will help police thwart the plans of terrorists and anti-social elements besides providing instant and easy communication to the police response force, the IGP observed.  He further directed the officers to ensure installation of CCTV cameras, construction of boundary wall and vantage points at educational institutions, worship places, and important installations. Also, trained guards should be deployed at the vantage points to counter terror threats.  The IGP during the video-link conference further directed that circle officers and SHOs should check security arrangements and personnel deployment for security of educational institutions and worship places and important installations on a daily basis. The officers y should also give daily briefing to the police officials deployed at such facilities regarding the sensitivity and importance of their duty.

Meanwhile, the IGP said, “We should fulfill our duty with spirit of Jihad to maintain peaceful environment in the city during the PSL Final. We have to prove that Punjab Police are capable of dealing with any challenge and circumstances by preventing destructive plans of anti-social elements while fulfilling our duties with spirit of patriotism and dedication.”

Sukhera further directed the officers that computerised entries of FIRs and Roznamcha (a police register) in all police stations should be ensured from Wednesday (today). The Lahore CCPO, RPOs and DPOs were asked that the divisional police officers should monitor the process of computerization by visiting police stations. The staff should also be given regular briefs about the effectiveness of this newly launched system of online FIRs.