KP Govt prioritizes public safety, boosts police budget by 37% to tackle security challenges

PESHAWAR, Jun 07 (APP): Despite facing persistent terrorism, and financial constraints, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has prioritized public safety by taking practical steps to modernize and empower its police force.

In a statement issued here Sunday, the province has allocated 8.7 percent of its total budget to police department, translating into a massive Rs. 170 billion spending package for law, order, and security sector in current fiscal year.

This includes a 37 percent budget hike amounting to an increase of Rs. 46 billion in a single fiscal year funded entirely through provincial government’s own resource generation.

In addition to funding increases, the provincial government has created 3,550 new positions within police despite its tight financial situation, bringing current staffing ratio to one police officer for every 291 citizens.

To sharpen anti-terrorism operations, record-breaking funds were released specifically to Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Special Branch for procurement of modern weaponry, advanced equipment, and vital technical gear.

While terrorism remains a national challenge, these investments have helped province maintain a lower rate of conventional crimes like murder, robbery, theft, and kidnapping compared to other provinces, making sacrifices and professional capabilities of KP Police a point of national pride.

Financially, the province has also had to shoulder human cost of security crisis largely on its own. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has independently released more than Rs. 15 billion for relief and rehabilitation of people affected by Intelligence-Based Operations (IBOs).

Ultimately, these targeted expenditures demonstrate that despite deep security trials, KP administration continues to treat police modernization and sustainable regional peace as its top priorities.