PESHAWAR – Peshawar Safe City cameras helped police trace 242 crimes, from murder to terrorism, according to a new report from the project. Officials now plan to grow the network from 711 cameras to 5,000.
The Safe City project supplied video evidence to police in 328 cases. However, 86 incidents happened outside camera coverage, so detectives had to chase other leads. In the other 242 cases, footage and still images gave investigators a trail to follow. Put another way, police traced nearly three in four of the cases that reached the project.
What the lenses caught
The report covers a wide range of offences. Snatching produced the strongest result, with footage helping police trace 66 of 82 cases. That is a success rate just above 80 percent. In addition, the cameras helped officers trace 12 of 15 murders and 23 of 29 dacoity and robbery cases. They also traced 15 of 18 missing-property cases and eight of 12 kidnappings.
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Other results were more modest. Police traced three of six attempted murders. Meanwhile, thieves stole 63 vehicles, and the cameras helped officers trace 34 of them. Among 47 other thefts, investigators traced 34. Finally, the footage helped solve two terrorism cases and two attacks on government officials.
Peshawar Safe City cameras: the plan for 5,000
Peshawar has more than 700 modern cameras at various locations today. The next phase aims to raise that figure to 5,000, step by step. If officials succeed, the network will grow roughly sevenfold. The announcement offers no timetable, so residents must wait to learn when the new cameras will go up.
The 86 uncovered cases show why the plan matters. A camera can only trace what it sees. Therefore, wider coverage should leave fewer blind spots for detectives, and the Peshawar Safe City cameras should reach more streets. Right now, the data makes a simple case. In 242 of 328 investigations, a lens stood where a witness did not
