HYDERABAD: Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed Alam Odho has said modernisation of police had become the need of the hour with the use of electronic surveillance so that police can deal with detection of crime.

He said that such surveillance was making policing invisible as well.

He was speaking at the inauguration of Hyderabad chapter of Community Policing- Karachi (CP-K) here at the office of SSP Hyderabad and addressing media in Hyderabad Press Club on Thursday. CP-K Hyderabad chapter chief Zubair Ahmed Ghangra, his deputy Imran Suharwardy, CP-K chief Murad Ali Soni, Kati chairman Ikram Rajput, Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry president Saleem Umer Memon, Hyderabad DIG Tariq Dharejo, Commissioner Fayyaz Abbasi and DC Zainul Abiden also spoke.

The IGP said that electronic surveillance was now mandatory considering the increasing population.

“There used to be a police station for a population of 30,000 to 40,000. Now Gulshan-i-Iqbal has a population of 10 million people,” he said. “Police presence will be minimised and there will be no picketing once policing under the safe city project has become fully operational. Eighty-five per cent of total police comprises constables alone presently and this will be minimised,” he said.

He said that installation of facial recognition cameras would be helping police which has helped in crime detection with a success ratio of around 30pc. “Detection improved from 45pc to 70pc through these measures in Karachi,” he said. He said that these measures would be replicated in Hyderabad as well.

He said that the investigation wing would become separate in Hyderabad to improve the rate of conviction.

He said that policemen would be imparted training in this regard.

He said the strength of constables would be lessened and vacancies needed for crime detection and investigation would be increased.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2026