Ramazan security plan in force from today

Thousands of police personnel deployed to protect citizens from crime and coronavirus

LAHORE: Lahore Police have devised a security plan for the mosques, Imambargahs and other religious places during the month of Ramazan to ensure the safety of the citizens as the pandemic continues to spread.

Giving details, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Lahore Rai Babar Saeed said that 3,000 police officers including six superintendents of police (SPs), 34 deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), 84 inspectors and 217 upper subordinates will perform security duty during the holy month.

As per the plan, as many as 177 Special Enforcement teams have been constituted by the Lahore Police to ensure implementation of the 20-point standard operating procedures (SOPs) dictated by the government during prayer hours in the mosques.

DIG Operations Lahore further revealed that mosques and Imambargahs have been divided into three categories according to their sensitivity and the number of people visiting them during the month of Ramazan.

In total, there are 218 mosques of category A, 775 of category B and 4,064 mosques in category C.

Lahore Police will provide foolproof security to all the mosques in the city, the DIG Operations assured.

Reportedly, thousands of nominated volunteers will also perform the duty of checking persons visiting the worship places.

In this regard, this personnel have been imparted necessary training at the District Police Lines Qilla Gujjar Singh.

Saeed said, this year Lahore Police is facing multiple challenges due to the ongoing health emergency.

“Lahore Police is containing the movement of citizens on the roads, controlling crime, distributing ration bags among needy, supervising queues at different places including Ehsaas Kafalat Centers, performing security duties at pickets, quarantines centres and other areas of the city.”

This year we have to protect the citizens from coronavirus too, he asserted.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2020.