1,900 CCTV cameras can’t identify faces, Senate told

By Mumtaz Alvi
February 18, 2017

Federal capital Safe City Project

ISLAMABAD: Many lawmakers were surprised when the government revealed in the Senate Friday that the 1,900 CCTV cameras installed across the federal capital under the multi-billion Safe City Project did not have the software to identify faces.

Proceedings during the Question-Hour were suspended for five minutes on the proposal from Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani, after the House offered Fateha for the victims of Sehwan Sharif carnage.

During the Question-Hour, PTI Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak wanted to confirm from the Minister of State for Interior Muhammad Balighur Rehman that he had learnt from the Islamabad administration that the cameras did not carry software to identify faces.

The minister confirmed but added approval had been accorded for installation of the software. Khattak also pointed out that he was also informed that the cameras were of poor quality of two megapixel and could not even identify number plate of a vehicle. 

To this, the minister said that the utility of the cameras was well-established, having helped improve not only the law and order situation in Islamabad but also crime had also come down significantly and traffic was also being managed in a better way.

Baligh said that identification of vehicle number plate was done after having seen video. He said that another 200 cameras would be installed soon while the traders and shopping malls were being encouraged also to install such cameras. He agreed to a proposal that the Centre might consider legislation to call on the provinces to opt for CCTV cameras in due course of time. “The installation of these cameras has helped making Islamabad one of the safest cities,” the minister went on to claim.

Replying to a question by PPP Senator Sehar Kamran, Minister for Interior Ch Nisar Ali Khan informed the House in a written reply that seminaries in the Punjab were geo-tagged and that there were a total number of 13,798 seminaries across the province belonging to various schools of thought.