Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the CM Crime Surveillance Unit on Friday, a digital system that will monitor crime data and the performance of police officers at the district, circle and police station levels across the province. Under the system, up to date crime figures for every police station in Punjab will be available at a single click. Officers of all ranks, including district police officers, deputy superintendents of police and station house officers, will be evaluated on their performance, which gives senior officials one view of how each level of the force is doing.
The unit will compile data on 20 categories of crime, and its in-house experts will produce analysis reports on demand. It will also track how quickly citizens’ complaints and applications are resolved, which will allow action against officials responsible for delays. As part of its work, the unit will additionally identify notable posts on social media, in line with national security requirements. Unit head Usman Tahir briefed the chief minister on its structure and operations during the ceremony. The government has not published details of how the social media work will be carried out or what kinds of posts will be flagged.
The chief minister asked the Inspector General of Punjab Police to submit a police reform plan and directed that data from the police station record management system be used accurately, since the unit’s reports depend on the quality of the records fed into it. She took notice of complaints about unjustified delays in registering First Information Reports and instructed police to respond promptly to negative propaganda against the force. Complaint handling and FIR registration are among the areas where the unit’s data on how quickly applications are resolved could be used to hold officers to account.
Addressing the gathering, Maryam Nawaz said the unit was established to make the campaign against crime more effective and that her aim was a crime-free Punjab. She said the conduct of a few individuals should not reflect on the entire police force, and noted that reforms have contributed to a historic decline in crime rates in the province. The launch adds to a series of digital initiatives in Punjab that include body cameras for police and digital complaint systems, and its effect will depend on whether the data it collects is accurate and is used to improve how police respond to citizens.
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