LAHORE, Oct 23: Punjab IGP Syed Masood Shah has directed the senior officers to inspect police stations, and supervise patrolling to check the incidence of crime.

Presiding over a meeting at the Capital City Police, Lahore, to review the law and order situation on Thursday, he ordered installation of closed-circuit cameras at the entry and exit points, prominent markets and chowks in the city.

The participants were informed that closed-circuit cameras were being installed at 28 points in Lahore, which would help monitor the movement of criminals.

Briefing the officials on the situation, DIG Khwaja Khalid Farooq said, preventive measures were being taken to fight crime. The graph of heinous crimes had dropped this year compared to the last year’s due to better policing, he said.

“As many as 317 gangs have been busted and 1,649 suspects arrested, besides recovery of stolen goods worth Rs16 million,” the DIG added.

He also said 15 cases of robbery and dacoity-cum-murder, 32 murder, 159 dacoity and 933 robbery cases had been traced. Booty worth Rs160 million had been recovered so far.

This year, he said, 6,406 proclaimed offenders and 7,704 court absconders had been arrested.

The killers of an Urdu Bazaar trader and vegetable market shopkeeper would be arrested soon, he pledged.

Mr Farooq said a modern system was being installed in the police vehicles to help identify their place and duty to the control room.

The officials were further informed that mobile computerized forensic labs were being provided to the Lahore police, which would rush to the crime scene to preserve the prints and other information about the criminals.

It was revealed that a control and command system was being introduced in the investigation branch. It would provide complete details about the stolen and sold vehicles, and the identity of the owners of the vehicles would be ascertained through wireless.

A model building for Rescue 15 and Helpline equipped with modern gadgets was being constructed at the CCPO office, the DIG said.—APP