Rawalpindi District Police on the directives of City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Syed Khalid Mehmood Hamdani had finalized foolproof security arrangements for Pakistan Super-League (PSL) matches being played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, said a police spokesman here on Thursday.
He informed that over 5000 cops had been deployed for the security of PSL while 347 Traffic Wardens and officers were also deployed to regulate traffic in the circle. He said that the authorities concerned had been directed to ensure the best possible security arrangements for the cricket matches.
The arrangements were finalized keeping in view the convenience and safety of the players and the cricket fans, he said. A comprehensive traffic plan was devised to ease traffic flow during the matches on the city roads. Three control rooms had also been established to monitor the arrangements, he added.
The administration and police always played a pivotal role in promoting international sports and cultural activities in the country by providing foolproof security for these events. He informed that all available resources were being utilized to ensure the best security.
5000 police personnel including senior officers and officials of different units of police including SSP, SDPOs, SHOs, Dolphin Squad, Police Response Unit and Elite Force were ensuring security. Security personnel were performing security, patrolling and traffic management duties during the matches to ensure foolproof security of the event along with a smooth flow of traffic, he informed.
Three layers of security were being provided at the stadium and the citizens were only being allowed to enter the stadium after a complete checking process, he added. He said that Dolphin Squad, Elite and Police Response Unit teams would continue their effective patrolling around the specific areas of the city. Snipers were deputed on the rooftops to keep an eye on all the movements during these matches.
According to a Police spokesman, 14 matches of PSL would be played in Rawalpindi including five days and nine evenings. Special shuttle service was being provided to PSL fans, he informed. The district administration was providing the shuttle service for which special arrangements were finalized, he said.
Various places had been designated for parking while motorcycle parking was arranged near the stadium, he informed. 160 cameras were installed inside and outside the stadium to monitor all the security arrangements, he said. A special survey of the buildings in the surrounding areas of the stadium had also been conducted, he said.
He further informed that the Punjab Inspector General of Police had directed that all-out resources should be utilized for foolproof security during the ongoing PSL matches in Rawalpindi. He said Regional Police Officer Rawalpindi Syed Khurram Ali was monitoring all the security arrangements.
