The usage of drones for law enforcement has become more and more common in Pakistan and almost all departments are trying to opt toward it, including Federal Police, Motorway police, and now Punjab Police are also getting the option of using drones. Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Wednesday approved the purchase of 1200 drones for the police and other departments of the province.
Chief Minister of Punjab, Pervez Elahi gave the approval during the meeting with the delegation of the famous Chinese company for drone technology, Di-Jiang. CM Elahi stressed the need of rolling out the latest ‘policing system’ with the help of drone technology, while the working ability of the patrolling police will also be enhanced. The CM also pinned hope on curbing the street and other forms of crime by using the latest technology, adding that the drone cameras could be effective in terms of bringing the criminal mindset to justice. Pervaiz Elahi said;
“With the usage of drone technology, unfortunate incidents, one that happened with a woman at Minar-e-Pakistan in 2021, could be prevented through monitoring in parks and recreational spots. Through strict drone monitoring, unfortunate incidents would be reported on time. At the same time, the night-vision drones would also play a crucial role in maintaining the law and order situation at night”.
Though Pakistan is pretty late in adopting the trend in all areas, any progress is better than no progress and these initiatives taken by various departments suggest that we are at least heading in the right direction and sooner or later we would achieve optimum policing and law enforcement would be a lot better. Pervaiz Elahi further mentioned that;
“The flood situation in the country could also be reviewed, by monitoring the flow of water for 24 hours, through the technology of drone cameras. Additionally, it would become quite easy for the administration to deliver the food items and medicines to the people, affected by floods or other cataclysmic events, through drones on time,”
CM Elahi said, “With the help of drones, spraying agricultural medicines in the fields would also become quite comfy – effectively – and determining the production of the agricultural fields would also be assisted. This technology would also pave the way for getting rid of locusts and other insects with immediate effects”. The CM further said that the technology of drones would also be rolled out in the mining and health sectors.
Talking about the improvisation of the technology, CM Elahi said a separate would be constituted in Punjab for the implementation of this program, while the workers will get training from the Chinese company – about how to use the drone technology.
Furthermore, CM Elahi directed that the file report be submitted as soon as possible to highlight the need for drones in terms of quantity, concluding that acquiring drone technology is a watershed moment in Punjab s history.
A couple of months ago, the Federal Government also started such a program under Safe City Project and claimed that they are extending their network. So they can cover the whole city. Moreover, during the last 30 days, the Islamabad police base added almost 389 cameras to improve the experience of online monitoring. To maintain law and order in the federal capital, the police of the capital city have decided to use “non-lethal drones” to scatter rioters.
A couple more months back, The National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP) announced that they plan to use drone technology to carry out motorway patrolling. NH&MP seeks to limit human dependency by deploying drones on all motorways across Pakistan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Communications, the department has been empowered to use variable messaging signs, body-worn cameras, and other technologies to automate various operations. The decision is part of a 5-year plan that includes NHMP’s phase-wise transition to a modern standard of operations.
