KP police on high alert, cops advised to wear bulletproof jackets

• 120 policemen killed, 125 injured in different attacks in KP this year
• Lastest attack carried out on security post in Sarband station
• Police posts, patrolling parties are attacked with grenades, IEDs

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police has been put on high alert following a series of attacks on police stations and posts in different districts of the province over the last many days, reported The News.

The latest attack was carried out on a security post in the limits of the Sarband Police Station in the provincial capital in the early hours of Wednesday. However, no casualty was reported in the attack with heavy weapons on the police post close to the Khyber district's boundary.

Police personnel rushed to the spot and launched a search operation after the attack. The police posts in the limits of Sarband have come under attack for the third time in the last five days. 

Several police stations, posts, and patrolling parties in KP have come under attack with grenades, IEDs, and automatic weapons in the past months.

Police have been put on high alert after major attacks in Lakki Marwat and Wana in South Waziristan, as well as the incident at the office of the Counter-Terrorism Department in Bannu. The building was cleared on the third day in a military operation after militants took control of it.

Measures were also taken to protect police officers from snipers with night vision thermal goggles. Besides, patrolling and checking in cities have been increased. 

Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari, along with Capital City Police Officer Muhammad Ijaz, visited various police posts to inspect the security arrangements and the level of alertness. 

The police chief directed the cops to ensure every officer is wearing bulletproof jackets and helmets as a precautionary measure. Over 120 policemen were martyred, and over 125 others were wounded in different attacks on the force in KP during the current year. The attacks have accelerated across the province for the last few weeks.

The law and order situation in KP has gone south over the last few weeks as an increase has been noticed in threats and attacks on security forces and high-profile political personalities.

“Apart from the police, senior politicians have complained of receiving threats. The houses of some of them have also come under grenade attack,” a source told the publication.