LAHORE: The Punjab government is set to expand its digital surveillance network to the tehsil level by installing 10,000 additional high-definition cameras across the province.
Safe City operations are currently functional in nearly 40 cities, supported by thousands of surveillance cameras and integrated technology systems. An official said the new programme was approved after authorities reported a significant reduction in serious and heinous crime in areas covered by the existing network.
The official said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had approved the expansion of digital surveillance operations to 7,602 union councils across Punjab, which would significantly increase the province’s technology-based policing coverage.
According to the official, the initiative followed the chief minister’s visit to China in August 2026, where discussions focused on technology transfer, artificial intelligence and digital governance. Following her return, a series of meetings were held to explore the use of technology in various sectors, including extending digital services and surveillance capabilities to rural areas.
The official said that on September 20, no Emergency 15 call relating to robbery, street crime or snatching was reported in any of the 39 districts covered by the Safe City system.
He attributed the development to improved coordination among the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA), Crime Control Department (CCD) and district police in crime prevention, surveillance and emergency response.
Currently, 43 smart Safe City centres are operating across the province, providing round-the-clock surveillance and technology-based support to law-enforcement agencies. The centres use video analytics, digital evidence and technology-enabled monitoring to assist police in identifying suspicious activity and responding to incidents.
Officials said more than a dozen artificial intelligence-based systems are already operational. These include automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), facial recognition, smart vision, crime analytics and intelligent traffic management systems.
The systems analyse surveillance feeds, help identify suspicious behaviour, detect stolen vehicles and assist authorities in identifying potential crime hotspots.
More than 24,000 high-definition surveillance cameras are currently monitoring roads, markets, highways and other public spaces across Punjab, according to the official.
The government plans to further expand technology-driven policing under its “Safe Punjab” initiative, with the latest project aimed at extending digital surveillance and law-enforcement capabilities to areas beyond the existing Safe City network.
