CM launches S4 project for facial and number plate recognition at 40 toll plazas in province

Karachi: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday launched the Sindh Smart Surveillance System (S4) which will allow recognition of faces and number plates at 40 toll plazas in the province, including 18 in Karachi.

The CM also announced that 127,482 policemen will be provided health insurance with a Rs4.9billion outlay.

The inauguration ceremony of the S4 project was held at the Central Police Office (CPO) on Thursday morning. Provincial ministers Saeed Ghani and Zulfiqar Shah, Principal Secretary to the CM Agha Wasif, officers of the Pakistan Rangers and members of civil society also attended the ceremony.

Officials said the S4 project aimed at providing a comprehensive and integrated municipal security solution for all major entry and exit points connecting with other cities in the province.

The system will enable effective monitoring of entry and exit points ensuring reliable security through the integration of advanced technologies allowing facial and number plate recognition at 40 toll plazas, including 18 in Karachi.

Shah said the S4 project would help the law enforcers arrest over 80,000 absconding criminals and reduce vehicular crime. He added that its system was designed to have the capabilities for crime prevention and deterrence.

He also stated that the system would assist the police in identifying suspects and criminals, locating stolen vehicles, and conducting surveillance and investigations. This would enhance public safety and improve traffic management. Additionally, it would help the police analyse crime patterns.

Shah said he had approved Rs1.567 billion in the fiscal year 2022-23 to procure the camera system for the project by a direct contract with the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation.

“I am ready to provide funds to the police on the condition of providing the best results,” he said.

The CM said his government was duty-bound to establish a crime-free society in the province.

“The Sindh police have started a well-coordinated targeted operation against the dacoits in the Kutcha area,” he maintained, adding that that the dacoits who killed five policemen in Ghotki had been killed in an encounter.

Shah criticised what he termed the ‘social mafia brigade’ involved in spreading fake news to misguide the people. “A fake news of the killing of the injured camel’s owner was deliberately made viral but its rebuttal was not given the same space when the IG Police released it,” he lamented. Shah said the social fabric was being torn apart through fake news.