US donates protective vests and helmets to Sindh prisons department

The United States government donated protective equipment worth around Rs70 million to the Sindh Prisons Department, said a press release issued by the American Consulate General in Karachi on Thursday.

Corrections staff, especially those on the perimeter, entrance points, and working outside the hardened walls and buildings, are vulnerable targets. The state-of-the-art, light-weight helmets and vests, provided by the Department of State’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL), will help protect prison officers as they secure prisons across Sindh.

Nathaniel Haft, the INL Corrections Program officer, said, “We are proud of our partnership and collaboration with the Sindh Prisons Department and hope these items will inspire further confidence in those officers who wear this equipment.

“These officers are a critical part of the criminal justice system and provide a vital service to Karachi and Pakistan, for which they deserve our appreciation and support.” The State Department’s INL Bureau, which began its partnership with the Sindh Prisons Department in 2014, works in more than 90 countries to help governments combat crime and corruption, counter drug-related crime, improve police institutions, and promote laws and court systems that are fair and accountable.