Islamabad - Federal Minister for Interior, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Monday distributed cheques worth Rs 47 million among families of martyred personnel and those who lost their lives during performance of their official duties. In a simple and graceful ceremony, he along with IGP Islamabad Qazi Jamil ur Rehman distributed cheques among families of 21 martyred cops and 14 those personnel who lost their lives during duty.   DIG (Headquarters), AIG, SSP (Headquarters), senior police officials and members families of policemen were also present on the occasion. Sheikh Rashid said the government was taking sincere steps to improve the professional capabilities of Islamabad Police. He said that police were a frontline force and added that it was necessary to keep the morale of the force high.

The minister said that the air patrolling unit of the ICT police, which consisted of high-tech drones and locators for live surveillance and tracking purposes, would initially patrol areas with high rates of burglaries, robberies, snatching, street crimes, and auto theft. He said that apart from airborne tracking and surveillance, it would also be responsible for providing additional support to the on-ground patrol and specialised teams of the ICT Police. He said that while equipping the ICT Police with the latest technology, they would significantly be able to ensure the safety of the public, decrease the crime rate, and consolidate the overall security of the federal capital. He said that ICT Police would be made the model and most advanced police force in the country as they had adopted modern technology to tackle crimes, automate different processes, making the city safer for both residents and visitors. He added the ICT Police were facing more challenges as handling daily protests was not an easy task. He said that the ICT police had also installed security cameras across the capital under the Safe City project.

He said that all heirs of the martyred police personnel would be covered under the package. He assured to increase the salaries of Islamabad Police besides starting a housing project for them. On the occasion, IGP Islamabad Qazi Jamil ur Rehman said   that special desk has been set up at police line headquarters to facilitate families of martyred cops. He said that educational facilities are being provided to children of martyred personnel while 286 members of these personnel have been provided jobs in Islamabad police.