Punjab's first modern Safe City project equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been made functional in Bahawalpur. This multi-dimensional project, costing 450 million rupees, will provide the people of Bahawalpur direct access to the corridors of power to address their public issues. Punjab government has made functionary the state-of-the-art Safe City project in Bahawalpur, following which e-challan services have also begun in the city.
The headquarters of the Bahawalpur Safe City Range, featuring a modern and aesthetically designed building, was completed in a very short time within the Bahawalpur Police Lines as per the directives of the Chief Minister of Punjab.
SSP Bahawalpur Range Safe City, Muhammad Kashif Abdullah, told the Express Tribune that Bahawalpur Safe City project is the first of its kind in South Punjab and first in Punjab to be equipped with advanced AI technology.
He said that 257 modern cameras have been installed at 36 different locations across the city. The cameras include those specifically focused on number plates, cameras capable of capturing clear facial images through facial recognition, and AI-powered cameras that can detect the number of people in any vehicle, along with general-purpose cameras for monitoring the movement of people. Kashif Abdullah added that the cameras function equally well in day and night conditions.
In addition to this, traffic police personnel have been equipped with body cameras, which will help monitor their performance and improve the traffic management system. Under the Safe City system, two digital police stations have also been set up to continuously monitor crimes against women and children from the initial call to the emergency helpline 15 through to the punishment of the culprits. Moreover, in areas with high footfall of women, special emergency buttons have been installed, which when pressed will instantly trigger action via modern cameras and law enforcement teams.
Kashif Abdullah further said that the Safe City project is now functional in both Bahawalpur city and Rahim Yar Khan, while it will soon be launched in Bahawalnagar. Afterward, work will begin to implement it at the tehsil level. He said that these cameras are directly connected to the Lahore head office, and now traffic fines will also be generated from there.
DPO Bahawalpur Hassan Iqbal told the Express Tribune that this year during Muharram, particularly on the days of Ashura, monitoring was carried out using this highly advanced system. He added that the project will be instrumental in bringing criminals to justice and in reducing crime levels. He said that performance will also improve due to the monitoring of police stations and personnel, and street crime will significantly decrease. It was also stated that soon the Safe City system will be connected to cameras installed at petrol pumps, industries, banks, and gold markets, which will help extend its coverage to all areas of the city.
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