U.S. Ambassador Donald Blome, KPK Police, and UNDP Pakistan inaugurate $17 million Joint Police Training Center
Abdullah Jan
Nowshera:U.S. Ambassador Donald Blome, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan inaugurated the Joint Police Training Center in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The project is the U.S. Embassy’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)’s largest construction project in its 41-year history in Pakistan. Thanks to the U.S. Embassy, KP Police, and UNDP, the center now boasts a training capacity of 1,700 police officers at one time.
Joining Inspector General Akhtar Hayat, Ms. Aliona Niculita, Officer-In-Charge at UNDP Pakistan, and Ms. Carrie Basnight, U.S. Embassy INL Acting Director, also attended the inauguration, which marked the end of the 12-year project funded solely by the U.S. government. The U.S. Embassy funded the construction of 75 buildings, including academic buildings, a health unit, men’s and women’s hostels, and a multi-purpose hall.
In his keynote address at the ceremony, Ambassador Blome affirmed “This investment will have a lasting positive impact. The strengthening of law enforcement presence and the writ of the government in remote and under-governed areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will lead to increased security and prosperity.”
Mr. Akhtar Hayat Khan, Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, took this opportunity to underline, “The Joint Police Training Center Nowshera will help us immensely in addressing the capacity gaps affecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, former FATA police personnel, Frontier Constabulary, and other Law Enforcement Agencies. We are thankful to the U.S. Embassy’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and UNDP Pakistan for their partnership and support in creating an enabling learning environment for law enforcement personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
Ms. Aliona Niculita, Officer-In-Charge, UNDP Pakistan, asserted that UNDP stands committed to strengthening the rule of law in Pakistan. She appreciated the U.S. Embassy’s longstanding strategic partnership with UNDP in supporting law enforcement institutions in Pakistan to better protect and serve people. “We would also like to thank the U.S. Embassy’s Office of INL and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police for their esteemed partnership and support in the project. The Joint Police Training Center Nowshera is a state-of-the-art and gender-responsive development project. We are optimistic that the facility will play an important role in strengthening the capacity of law enforcement professionals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
The UNDP Rule of Law Programme is implementing a range of interventions to strengthen security and justice sector governance in Pakistan.
