RAWALPINDI: Police have been directed to ensure the Hotel Eye software is installed at hotels, inn and hostels, as required by the National Action Plan.

High-ups have also expressed concerns that station house officers (SHO) are submitting incorrect details of the hotels, guesthouses and inns in their areas and the actual number is much higher than the incomplete information sent to the district police chief.

Police introduced the software, a provincial database, to acquire data on guests staying at hotels, inns, guesthouses and hostels in order to monitor criminals, proclaimed offenders and suspected terrorists. The data allows hotels to share guests’ data with the police automatically.

After noticing that some hotels were not entering their guests’ information into the system and that the data was not being monitored properly, City Police Officer (CPO) Abbas Ahsan told police across the district to ensure the software is used, as not doing so is a criminal offence.

Highups express concern over SHOs submitting incorrect data on hotels, guesthouses

In his directive the CPO also said that despite information being entered promptly on criminals residing at hotels, police “have been showing slackness”, which allows criminals to check out of these establishments.

He directed the concerned SHOs and superintendents of police to ensure the software is installed in their respective areas and to prepare complete lists of all such commercial establishments to be sent to him.

A senior police official told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the software is very helpful for apprehending proclaimed offenders, court offenders and other criminals. He said that when hotel management enters the details of a guest into the database, a police control room is immediately alerted.

If a guest’s details match with criminal records, the police are sent to the establishment shortly to make an arrest.

“It is basically monitoring of people. They may be in any category. The database can also be helpful for taxation authorities to pinpoint wealthy individuals,” he added.

Another police official said the police had successfully apprehended some of the most wanted proclaimed offenders and criminals at big hotels. They have also brought in criminals from other districts using this software.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2019