Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in Pakistan ordered the police to install 10,000 CCTV cameras across Karachi, as part of the Sindh Safe City project, and work on developing a mobile application via which citizens could remotely file complaints of vehicle snatching. The CM issued these directives while presiding over a meeting called to review Karachi’s law and order situation.
In the meeting, he stressed the need to gear up for the implementation of the Sindh Safe City project- which has been facing delays for years, so that security and quality of life could be improved in the megalopolis. For this purpose, he announced to convene a meeting next week, where approval would likely be granted for the project’s different components.
Besides, the CM claimed that the law and order situation in the city had improved over the last six years, evident by Karachi’s ranking on the World Crime Index dropping from 6 in 2014 to 103 in October 2020.
“We can make the city safer by implementing the Sindh Safe City project at the earliest [and]… by employing technology,” the CM said. The project was conceived in 2011 and under this initiative, authorities planned to install 10,000 CCTV cameras across Karachi in its first phase. Back then, the CM had approved Rs. 10 billion for the project. However, over the years, its cost has escalated to around Rs. 20 billion. Now looking to expedite the implementation of the project, the CM directed the police to install 10,000 CCTV cameras at different spots in Karachi, including red zones and areas where the crime level was high.
Sindh IGP Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar shared the crime statistics of Karachi from the previous and current year in the meeting.
According to the details shared by the provincial police chief, 423 killings were reported in Karachi during 2019, in comparison to 414 reported in 2020 so far. In 2019, he said, 12 cases of target killing were registered against eight registered in 2020 so far. Besides, he added, 2019 saw 31 cases of kidnapping for ransom reported in the city in comparison to 29 registered this year hitherto.
