KARACHI: The Sindh police are working on equipping the force with at least 10 drone cameras in addition to their ‘video surveillance system’ mainly to provide assistance to the law enforcers during raids, it emerged on Sunday.

Sources said the police authorities saw increasing use of drone cameras by television channels as a security threat and wanted a permanent ban on their use.

They said the Sindh police had prepared a proposal for seeking funds from the government for acquiring at least 10 drone cameras which would be connected with the central command and control centre at the central police office.

“The technology has proved highly effective for intelligence gathering and planning before an action,” said an official, giving reasons for the proposal.

“The Karachi police have experienced some setbacks when they were caught off guard as they faced unexpectedly stiff reaction during recent raids, forcing police to rethink their pre-raid strategy and increasing importance of better surveillance of criminals’ hideouts to minimise losses,” he said.

He said the police planned to gradually increase the number of drone cameras because of their effectiveness. The Sindh police’s IT department would handle and operate the drone cameras as it was already operating the command and control centre, he said.

The recent development was part of a police plan to enhance ‘video surveillance system’, which was launched in 2010 with initial investment of Rs500 million.

The project was further expanded later when the force announced another Rs846 million project to install more surveillance cameras at important locations across the city in addition to the already fixed 1,000 cameras to be able to meet growing security challenges and help make the ongoing ‘targeted operation’ a success.

The Sindh police earlier this year set up a fleet of 100 mobiles equipped with cameras that help the law enforcement agency to record suspicious movement while patrolling, deployment or raiding a criminal hideout.

“There is a proposal to acquire the drone cameras which facilitate surveillance in darkness and have night vision facility. In recent raids on criminals’ dens or militants’ hideouts, the police experienced strong reaction and the entire exercise failed to come to fruition because of lack of knowledge about their areas,” said the official.

“Apart from surveillance support during raids, the drones can also be used for monitoring large crowds, gatherings, processions and congregations. The drone cameras will not only provide on the spot coverage to the law-enforcement agency’s personnel but they can also be connected with the command and control centre at the central police office to give a broader picture of what is happening on the ground,” he said.

He said the drone camera proposal had nothing to do with the $11 million assistance announced by the United States to improve Sindh police’s ‘video surveillance system’, saying the idea for the drone cameras was floated much before that announcement.

Assistant Secretary of State of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs William R. Brownfield announced at a recently held ceremony at the central police office his country’s assistance for the Sindh police and an additional assistance provided by the bureau to the law enforcement agency apart from a $500,000 project for Sindh curriculum development programme.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2015

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