Terrorist threat: Police start training of schools’ security staff

Police officer says various drills have been arranged for guards

LAHORE: Lahore Police on Friday started a three-day training programme for security guards of educational institutions that have been placed in security categories of A-Plus and A. Three hundred security guards have been given training so far.

The category A-Plus covers army and missionary schools, colleges and universities. These also include institutions where foreigners are either studying or teaching or that have previously received terrorist threats.



Schools offering co-education have been placed in category A.

“Police and Elite Force commandoes have taught us how to operate a gun. They have also taught us how to respond to an emergency,” Ghulam Ali, one of the participants of the programme, said.

Muhammad Abu Bakar, another security guard, said he had been taught how to assemble a rifle.

“I have never used a rifle before,” said a guard requesting anonymity.

“I would only bring tea for people at my work place. The guns that guards were carrying at my school were out of order,” said another guard.

Inspector Jagday Khan, one of the trainers, said that guards had been taught how to operate a gun and improve their performance.

“We helped them improve their ability to hit a target.”

Headquarters SP Umer Saeed is overseeing the programme. He said he was shocked to see that some of the guards did not even know how to hold a gun.



“We had to start from the scratch,” he said.

He said the training would continue on Sunday (today). “We have arranged various drills for them so that they might respond appropriately to any emergency situation.”

He said guards had been advised to keep school doors closed during the teaching hours. They have also been asked to keep a liaison with police officials deployed for schools’ security, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2015.