4,000 devices to be procured for e-tagging repeat offenders

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chaired a meeting on law and order at the CM House on Thursday, and decided to acquire 4,000 devices for the electronic tagging of repeat street and drug criminals in the province.

The provincial chief executive decided to implement geotagging and engage in GPS utilisation to prevent street and drug crimes in the hotspot areas of Karachi.

He instructed the Sindh police chief to provide 14 drones, which were procured last month, to the police in the Sukkur, Ghotki, Kashmore and Shikarpur districts to monitor the movement of dacoits and other criminals, and the presence of their hideouts.

“I know the police, with the coordinated support of Rangers and other law enforcement agencies, have made progress in controlling law and order, including street crime in the city and kidnapping for ransom in the Kutcha area, but we should take benefit of the latest technology in curbing crime,” he said, adding that he has already provided enough funds to the police for purchasing equipment.

“We should not be complacent in terms of the Karachi situation and its current crime rate index, if we don’t control the drug problem,” he said. He was of the view that our future generations and society at large would fully become prone to the use of drugs, consequently leading to crimes and lawlessness.

“I’m committed to making Karachi a drug-free city,” he said. IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon said that 574 drug dealers had been identified in the province: 299 of them were arrested and jailed, five were eliminated, and 270 are at large but would be arrested soon.

The CM was told that 4,000 devices would be procured for e-tagging repeat offenders, including street and drug criminals. Shah said he has given a budget to the police to instal trackers in their vehicles, whose operation should be ensured. The CM was told that a tracker system was installed in 3,302 vehicles.

The CM was told that on his instructions, hotspot areas prone to street crime and drug peddling have been identified in most of the affected districts of the city.

Shah said he has already issued instructions for monitoring the entry and exit points of the province. He was told that entry/exit points have been provided with facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition cameras.

The CM was told that under the first phase of the Karachi Safe City project, work on the installation of 1,300 cameras has been started. Shah said he has already released Rs5.6 billion for the Safe City project.

In response to a question, the CM was told that 14 drones had been purchased and given to the Sukkur, Ghotki, Kashmore and Shikarpur districts’ police to monitor the movement of criminals/dacoits and their hideouts.

Shah directed the police to adopt the technology of laser-guided fencing on the borders. He directed the IGP to coordinate with the National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation, and explore its ways and means of using the latest technology for such security purposes.

The CM was told that GPS or related technology would be used to forestall the possibility of any drug-related criminal activity through efficient monitoring.

The meeting was also attended by provincial ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon, Nasir Hussain Shah and Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Senior Member Board of Revenue Baqaullah Unar, Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi, Karachi police chief Imran Yaqoob Minhas, Local Government Secretary Khalid Hyder Shah, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, the law secretary, E&T Secretary Saleem Rajput and others.