Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police have activated 68 panic buttons across key public locations in Peshawar under the Safe City Project, with each unit equipped with two-way audio and video communication capabilities directly linked to the Safe City headquarters for real-time emergency response. The devices are fitted with both audio and video communication features and are directly linked to the safe city headquarters, with the system introduced for use in emergency situations so that activating a panic button enables police to reach citizens without delay. The rollout represents a concrete operational step in Peshawar’s broader smart city security infrastructure, which was inaugurated earlier this year by Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi and includes 711 artificial intelligence-powered surveillance cameras, smart surveillance vehicles, drones, and an anti-drone security system integrated into a centralised command and control centre.
The system moves beyond traditional reporting by initiating an instant video call the moment a button is pressed, allowing staff at the command centre to visually assess the scene and communicate directly with the person in distress, ensuring a rapid and precise response to accidents, crimes, or medical crises. The deployment was planned following a comprehensive initial survey of the city’s most vulnerable and high-traffic areas. The locations selected for installation cover busy public spaces where the risk of incidents is highest, with particular emphasis on areas frequented by women and students, two groups that Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed specifically cited as intended beneficiaries of the system.
The IGP emphasised that in any emergency, pressing the panic button ensures immediate police response at the location, and described the initiative as a gift from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police to the public, reaffirming the force’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property. Following a positive response from the public, authorities have decided to expand the project to other cities as well. The planned expansion beyond Peshawar signals that if the system performs as intended in the provincial capital, the model will be replicated across other urban centres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, building out what would eventually become a province-wide emergency response network anchored by real-time video communication rather than voice-only reporting.
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