LAHORE: The Punjab home department has asked the provincial police chief to ensure that the personnel posted in sensitive areas are suitably equipped with protective gear.

In a letter written to the IGP, the home secretary stated that the recent tragic incident in the katcha areas of Rahim Yar Khan had underscored the urgent need to enhance safety measures for the police personnel.

The secretary said the gravity of this incident in which 12 cops were martyred has prompted the chief minister to emphasise the importance of equipping the force with appropriate protective gear while carrying out high-risk operations.

Given the critical nature of these operations and the inherent risks involved, the home secretary said it was imperative that all regionaland districtpolice officers should ensure that their personnel are adequately protected.

`In particular, the head, neck, and chest regions of all deployed officers must be safeguarded with suitable protective equipment,` he said.

Sources say the Punjab finance department sanctions billions of rupees for the police department annually, but the officers and personnel deployed at high-risk places are not given suitable protective gear. Eventually, the chief minister had to intervene to set things right in the police department.