35,000 cameras installed in Karachi under Safe City Project: IGP

A total of 35,000 cameras have been installed across Karachi under the Safe City Project to enhance surveillance and aid in crime prevention.

Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon said this on Saturday while speaking to the media at the Central Police Office, Karachi. He discussed various law and order issues related to Karachi and rural Sindh, and shared updates regarding the ongoing measures and developments within the Sindh police, including preparations for the new Crowd Management Unit that would be properly equipped to handle all types of situations.

The police chief said Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar could not attend the press conference due to a prior commitment. He also addressed rumours about his own transfer, stating that he had no knowledge of such reports.

The IGP stressed that the law should be enforced equally on everyone with no discrimination.

He added that the decisions to remove police officers, such as SHOs, were being taken on the basis of thorough assessment of crime rate in their jurisdiction. No police officer should be removed without a just reason, he asserted.

He highlighted that senior police officers had recently held meetings to ensure that there was no unfair removal or transfer of SHOs. He stated that the SHOs who had been removed without justification would be reinstated as it was important that the officers completed their full tenures.

He explained that his goal was to improve the condition of the police stations, and for this purpose, 31 police stations had already received funding for repairs and upgrades. An additional 50 police stations were also expected to get a similar funding soon and a total of Rs280 million had been allocated to the SSPs for this initiative.

IGP Memon also pointed out that the Sindh government had allocated Rs5 billion this year to strengthen the police stations that had been weakened in the past.

Regarding the police recruitment, he revealed that the Sindh police were set to make the highest-ever recruitment in their history with a plan to hire 25,000 to 27,000 new officers.

Commenting on the issues being faced by journalists in interior Sindh, the provincial police chief assured the media that investigations were under way into some recent incidents and some inquiries had already been completed.

Over a dispute concerning a police officer in Sukkur, the GIP said a committee had already submitted its preliminary report, and once the investigations were complete, the details of the case would be shared with the media.

According to police sources, the press conference had been scheduled to announce the arrest of facilitators involved in the recent suicide bombing near the airport that targeted a convoy of Chinese nationals. However, the announcement was not made as the home minister could not attend the press conference for unspecified reasons.

Police sources also revealed that following the suicide attack, intelligence agencies and police conducted operations across Sindh and various regions in Balochistan resulting in the arrest of over five facilitators of the suicide bomber, including a woman.

One of the facilitators is allegedly an employee at a private bank. There are indications of connections between the terrorists and India’s intelligence agency, RAW. It has been reported that a significant amount of money was transferred from Turbat to Karachi through a bank, with the bank employee allegedly receiving a hefty bribe for the transaction.