K-P police department caught off guard amid COVID-19 outbreak

Police stations across Peshawar lack awareness about implementing preventive measures

PESHAWAR: As Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, it appears to have caught the provincial police department off guard.

According to one official, the police department is not prepared to handle the situation. “Most officers don’t even have a mask,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

So far, the province has recorded more than 20 confirmed cases of Covid-19. According to details available with the Express Tribune, out of the 33 police stations, only six have taken preventive measures and provided masks to the officers.

“If not controlled, an outbreak of coronavirus could be devastating in a system that is already overcrowded and under-resourced, a prison health expert said.

Visitors, according to one official, are not being screened at the point of entry. This alone, he said, could trigger an outbreak of coronavirus at police stations.

Out of the 33 stations across the provincial capital, it appears only a handful have provided hand sanitizers. Surprisingly, when asked about the outbreak, officials at the Inqilab Police station, had no clue about the disease that has rattled almost every country in the world.

Similarly, officials on duty in Kabuli police station’s jurisdiction continue to perform their routine snap checking without taking any precautionary measures.

According to CCPO Peshawar, Muhammad Ali Gandapur, the department has convened a meeting to discuss preventive measures.

All police officials, Gandapur said, are directed to wear masks. “We are making sure police officials are taking all precautionary measures. We are providing hand sanitizers as well,” he claimed.

On the other hand, it appears to be a tough task to provide masks to all of the 6,500 officers of the provincial police department — particularly those on the frontline and involved in regular snap checking.

One senior official said that protective masks were not available in the market. “We have requested for masks, but suppliers in the market do not have them,” he said. On the procurement of hand sanitizers, he said, “That is another rare item in the market at this point.”

“Hand sanitizers are available, but they are overpriced,” said Tasbiullah, special magistrate, Peshawar food department. Dealers, he said, were making the most of the situation by increasing the price. “We have arrested several individuals for increasing prices,” Tasbiullah said.

In a stern warning to hoarders, he said: “We will penalize anyone who is hoarding items at this point.”

The magistrate claimed that authorities are taking complaints very seriously, and hoarding will not be allowed. Since the outbreak of coronavirus, individuals and shop keepers have stocked items of basic use including masks, and hand sanitizers.

For the provincial police department, the only good news, for now, is that authorities have ensured some stations have functional handwashing facilities.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2020.