LAHORE: The Punjab police introduced the “Face Trace System (FTS),” an advanced artificial intelligence-driven facial recognition system, aimed at bolstering accountability, reliability, and efficiency in tracing and capturing suspects and wanted criminals.
Developed by the Punjab Police Information Technology (IT) wing in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), the FTS utilizes artificial intelligence to create a comprehensive database of over 18 million individuals, including suspects and criminals. This cutting-edge facial recognition technology will enable law enforcement officers across Punjab province to swiftly locate and identify wanted criminals and accused individuals.
Inspector General Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar officially launched the system, emphasizing its potential to streamline the identification process for investigating officers throughout the province. Previously, officers relied on traditional methods, requiring physical visits to various locations, resulting in significant time and resource consumption. However, with the FTS, investigating officers can now verify and identify suspects and criminals with just a press of a button through the online platform.
The extensive data compiled for the system includes 16 million records and pictures from the driving licenses branch, 1.8 million records from the Crime Record Branch, 1.3 million from the Punjab Khidmat Marakaz, and 300,000 records of accused individuals and criminals from Punjab prisons.
Additionally, the FTS will play a crucial role in identifying and tracing suspects captured through CCTV cameras and other sources, ensuring rapid arrests following precise criminal identification.
Both the IGP and Mr. Younas expressed their commitment to further improve the system through training, integration, and feedback from the police force. Mr. Younas announced plans to connect the FTS with e-police posts, crime prevention apps, and other databases to enhance its capabilities further.
During the unveiling ceremony, PITB Chairman Faisal Yousaf, Additional DG Qasim Afzal, Chief Technical Officer Adil Iqbal, and Project Director Asim Iqbal were also present, underscoring the importance of this technological advancement in enhancing law enforcement capabilities in Punjab.
