Police to spend Rs14.6m on re-installation of vehicle trackers

In 2015, trackers were installed on 7,000 vehicles of Punjab Police at a cost Rs250m

LAHORE:

Lahore Police will spend Rs14.6 million for the re-installation of trackers in vehicles used by the operations wing.

Back in 2015 onwards, the trackers were installed in almost 7,000 vehicles of Punjab Police to monitor their movement with spending of at least Rs250 million.

The installations were also made in the vehicles of Lahore police. However, with time, a large number of devices were worn out either due to technical issues, negligence or deliberately removed by an official.

An officer shared with The Express Tribune that updating Lahore police with the latest technology has never been smooth. There had been several hiccups and a tug of war between the officers with a difference of perspectives.

The installation of trackers in police vehicles under the "Fleet Management System", a project of the government of Punjab was started in 2015.

Under the project, the trackers were installed in cars, jeeps, double-cabin and single-cabin vehicles, buses, prisoner vans, trucks, mobile canteens, fork lifters, motorboats, armoured personnel carriers, break-down vehicles, water bowsers, coaches and other vehicles with by the coordination of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and the Sparco.

He added that large screens were set up at Ops Rooms- Central Computerised Control Rooms, at DIG Operations and divisional SPs offices. A desk with a large screen was set up to monitor the real-time movement of the vehicles.

The trackers' management or fleet management system was also synced with the Crime Mapping Software. Crime Mapping would identify crime hotspots to deploy police vehicles accordingly.

Currently, it is also linked to Punjab Safe City Authority (PSCA). The staff at the PSCA control room would use the system to allocate the nearest vehicle to respond to any 15 helpline emergency.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2021.