FAISALABAD, June 3 The Punjab Highway Patrolling (PHP) police will take over traffic regulation of the Lahore-Faisalabad Road as the required equipment, including cameras and speed guns, have been purchased.

PHP DIG Suhail Khan told newsmen on Thursday the patrolling police had made highways safe for commuters through round-the-clock patrolling. He claimed the crime rate on highways patrolled by the PHP had come down by 80 per cent.

He said about 290 PHP posts were functional across the province, and each post covered an average area of 30 kilometres. He said the people travelling on highways in Punjab could call at toll-free number 1124 in any kind of emergency.

He said a mobile education unit had been established to create awareness among people about the presence and working of PHP as they could get benefit from its services.

He said the PHP was effectively managing traffic on 12 selected highways of Punjab and issuing tickets to violators without impounding their documents.

SSP Kamran Yousaf, briefing the media on the Faisalabad region performance, said 37 PHP posts were functional in four districts of the region and during the first five months of the year, 137 cases were got registered against criminals.

He said the PHP had recovered three stolen cars, six motorbikes and two pick-ups besides mobile phones, cattle and other valuables from criminals.