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KARACHI: As the video surveillance system project of the Sindh police is set to become operational by the end of this month, police have decided to integrate the surveillance cameras of banks, private firms and shopping centres with their system, it emerged on Sunday.
Sources said that more than 1,000 surveillance cameras would be used by the police to keep an eye on major and sensitive locations in the city and their installation and other technicalities would be completed by the end of this month to allow the police to formally launch their video surveillance system project.
“In the advanced stage of the project, the police will be interested in integrating the video surveillance of privately-held facilities with their network,” said a source. “These facilities are owned by individuals or business groups but are necessary to be monitored by the police due to their sensitivity and features. These include major shopping centres and major hotels.”
He said that meetings with the managements of these facilities were likely to be held after the installation of the cameras under the video surveillance system project. “The idea, however, has been conveyed to the quarters concerned, which so far has received a positive response. The exact details will be settled once the process begins in line with the proposed plan,” added the official.
He said under the agreement with the contracting firm, Getronics, the city would have 930 cameras in the next couple of months for round-the-clock surveillance through the Sindh police command centre. Apart from that particular project, the police were already operating 200 cameras installed on different traffic intersection across the city, he added.
“The Sindh police took over the operations of these 200 cameras earlier this year. They were installed under the e-policing project by the provincial information technology department and later handed over to the Sindh police,” he said, adding:
“The cameras under the e-policing project are primarily meant for traffic management but they are also effective in regular policing, keeping an eye on suspicious movements.”
In the first phase of the video surveillance system project, he said, more than 900 surveillance cameras would be installed at 174 locations, mostly within the limits of the South Zone police, which had been identified as sensitive and vulnerable pockets across the city.
Slashing its estimated cost by half, the police in July 2010 had relaunched the video surveillance system project. While Rs1 billion meant for the security cameras project was spent on buying vehicles for the police during the last financial year, the project was revived at an estimated cost of Rs500 million.
“The idea to take the surveillance systems of the privately-held crucial facilities under the police was lately discussed among the senior investigators. The recent surge in bank robberies and their ill-maintained security as well as surveillance system have also strengthened this argument,” added the official.
He said recently a senior police officer had shared the proposed project with other police officers by explaining the idea to bind the banks in the first phase so that they could link their different branches with the central police office.
