K-P police to keep a watch from the sky

Committee formed to submit recommendation on purchase of aerial drones

PESHAWAR: The K-P police have established a committee for recommendations on the purchase of aerial drones. These will be used to conduct surveillance on all seven police regions of the province and help law-enforcers keep a strict vigilance on the overall security situation, official sources told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

An official said the need for aerial surveillance was important in modern-day policing. A committee was established by K-P IGP Nasir Khan Durrani and asked to forward its recommendations in this regard.

“Drones are commonplace nowadays and easily available commercially. These are aerial cameras which can fly over specific locations and provide a bird’s-eye view,” the official added. “As a result of its commercial availability, the K-P police have decided to buy it for the police.” He said the committee had been assigned with the task of looking for different available options in this regard and forward its recommendations for a final decision.



“There are different models available commercially in various categories and price ranges. There are drones that can be purchased for as low as Rs50,000 apiece and can remain in the air for 30 minutes. At the same time, there are those ones which could cost thousands of rupees and are equipped with high definition video cameras. These also have greater range, but we have to decide which variety suits police the best,” he added. The official said the committee had been assigned with the task of determining the exact requirements of the seven police regions.

“We have to determine how many drones we need and the exact requirement of each region. What we really need is quality, reliability and a machine capable of high endurance,” the official said.

When contacted, the IGP confirmed to The Express Tribune that K-P police needed aerial cameras for surveillance purposes and had formed a committee in this regard.

“Yes, we need aerial surveillance and we want to buy these flying machines. A committee has been formed and it will soon submit its recommendations,” Durrani said.

The best fit

When it comes to surveillance, drones are considered highly effective.

There are devices in which various characteristics can be added. For instance, devices can be equipped with infra-red cameras, night vision cameras as well as live feed video cameras. Through these, live videos can be sent to the control rooms.



Then there are military drones that can stay up in the air for hours and can go far from their control room. However, these machines are more expensive and more effective. They also require a runway for take-off.

The Pakistan Army also operates several locally developed reconnaissance UAVs.

Most commercial drones operate on a battery, but military drones are powered by gasoline engines. Therefore they can operate for a very limited period.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2016.