Outdated CCTV systems cloak crime in the megacity

KMC-installed cameras remain useless owing to their low resolution

KARACHI:

Most urban centres around the world now employ public video surveillance systems as a primary tool to monitor population movements, aid law enforcement and to prevent crime. However, Karachi, the commercial hub and largest metropolitan city of Pakistan, still remains largely unsurveilled, which helps criminals in cloaking themselves and impedes police investigations in the mega city.

Karachi police currently has access to some 2,200 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, operated separately by the traffic police and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.

“These cameras are installed at 500 different spots around the city, which should cover a significant portion of Karachi. However, they are barely of any use to the police, considering that they are all outdated, have low-capacity coverage and produce poor quality visuals,” commented an official from Karachi’s Centeral Police Office on conditions of anonymity.

Per sources privy to the matter, out of the total 2,200 cameras, over 1,200 are operated by the local traffic police to monitor vehicular movements. Whereas, the remaining 1,000 cameras were installed by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation to monitor religious and political gatherings including Muharram processions in the city, and are controlled from the Civic Centre.

Speaking in the regard, senior crime reporter Hanif Manjothi shared that in absence of modern public video surveillance systems in the city, the local police mostly finds itself relying on privately installed CCTV cameras to draw footage when inspecting crime incidents. “Unlike the public sector, businessmen and high-profile citizens here have access to high-resolution CCTV cameras outside their residence, place of business and preferred routes. These cameras prove to be more useful to the police, than the ones installed by KMC and the traffic police,” he added. It is however worth noting that the Sindh government had touted to install at least 10,000 high-resolution CCTV cameras in the city in 2018.

The decision was taken at the forum of Apex Committee formed for implementing National Action Plan in the province. According to sources privy to the committee, provincial Home Department had completed formalities to execute the project, but it was eventually thrown into the cold storage for various reasons. Initially, there was a funding issue.

However, it was resolved in 2020 when Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Shah pledged to provide the required financing. Later, the project was delayed in the name of formal approval from National Economic Council (NEC), that was required in view of the project’s cost. Per Acting Karachi Police Chief Ghulam Nabi Memon, Economic Council’s approval is necessary for every project that costs over Rs20 billion and the cost of installing 10,000 cameras in the city has exceeded that amount.

“Formal execution of the project will be started soon after NEC’s approval and introduce 10,000 cameras at 2,000 sites across the city, which will bring much of the city under coverage of public video surveillance, therefore making law-enforcement a little easier,” he told The Express Tribune.