The Punjab government has launched body worn cameras for police personnel as part of a broader effort to strengthen accountability, improve public safety, and modernize policing across the province. The project has initially started in Lahore on the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, with trained personnel already prepared to use the cameras during field duties, while authorities have also begun installing docking stations at police stations to support the new system.
Personnel from the Punjab Police, Punjab Highway Patrol, Dolphin Force, and traffic police are set to use the cameras while on duty, with the devices designed to connect directly with the Smart Safe City systems already operating in 43 cities across the province. This integration will allow live monitoring of footage through district control rooms, giving oversight bodies real time visibility into police interactions captured through the body worn devices rather than relying solely on after the fact review of recorded footage.
The cameras themselves come equipped with a range of built in capabilities, including facial recognition, automatic number plate reading, threat alerts, audio and video recording, photography, calling functionality, and built in storage for captured data. Additional features include push to talk communication that allows officers to stay connected with control rooms directly through the device, along with an SOS button intended for use during emergencies. After each shift, officers are required to return their cameras to designated docking stations, where recorded data will transfer automatically for secure storage, a process designed to maintain a consistent chain of custody for footage while minimizing manual handling of sensitive recordings.
Speaking about the initiative, Maryam Nawaz said the system would strengthen police monitoring and help curb corruption within the force, while also noting that public safety, particularly for vulnerable groups, would remain a key measure of the programme’s success going forward. The rollout adds to a broader pattern of technology driven policing reforms being introduced across Punjab, building on the existing Smart Safe City infrastructure already in place across dozens of cities, with the body camera initiative representing a further step toward integrating digital monitoring tools directly into everyday policing operations across the province.
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