Rawalpindi police to monitor lockups

CCTV cameras will provide live feed to control room set up in CPO’s office

RAWALPINDI: To prevent illegal detention, police excesses and track jailbreaks, the Rawalpindi police has installed cameras in the lockups of 30 police stations of the city.

The feed from these cameras will be monitored around the clock from the control room set up at the City Police Officer’s office.

Sources in the district police department with knowledge of the development said that it was an important project. They added that the installation of cameras will help change the culture of police stations and prevent excesses since officers will now be mindful that they are being continuously monitored.

The official said that the project to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in police lockups was initially launched in Lahore. The high-quality cameras will not only help provide a live feed to the CPO office but will also be able to record the audio from the jail cells and observe activity in darkness thanks to night vision capabilities.

Moreover, the cameras have been provided with an independent power backup which can support continuous recording for 12 hours during load shedding.

The official added that five officers have been deployed in shifts to constantly monitor the feed from these cameras at the central control room. They have been directed to immediately report any unusual activity taking place in the police stations and lockups to the CPO.

The police official, who requested anonymity since he was not authorised to speak to the media, said that previously, cameras had only been installed in the offices of station house officers (SHOs) in all police stations of the city. Those cameras were installed to ensure that SHOs fulfil their duties diligently and to help curb corruption.

The official said that the SHOs and Moharrars in all police stations have been informed about the installation and monitoring from these cameras, hence, staff posted in these stations are now careful.

Apart from keeping a check on police officers, officials said that cameras could be used to obtain concrete evidence in other cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2020.