Punjab Police, NADRA join hands to boost crime control, modern policing

• Both sign information-sharing agreement at Central Police Office to strengthen community policing, public services

• IGP calls deal key step toward a ‘safer Punjab,’ under which biometric verification, fingerprint matching to aid arrests

 LAHORE: The Punjab Police and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Tuesday signed an agreement under which the latter will provide cooperation and technical support for crime control, community policing, and public services—a move described by the Punjab Inspector General of Police as “a step towards establishing a safer Punjab.”

According to a Punjab Police spokesperson, the signing ceremony for the information-sharing agreement was held at the Central Police Office. Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Abdul Kareem and NADRA Directorate Headquarters Chief Project Officer Rehman Qamar attended the event along with their respective teams.

The agreement was formally signed by DIG Information Technology Mansoorul Haq Rana and NADRA Chief Project Officer Rehman Qamar.

The spokesperson said that under the agreement, NADRA will provide the Punjab Police with modern facilities including fingerprint matching, biometric verification, CNIC details, family tree information, Family Registration Certificate (FRC) verification, and other advanced services.

“These facilities will further enhance the arrest of criminals and miscreants, strengthen community policing, and improve the public service delivery system,” he said.

On the occasion, DIG IT Mansoorul Haq Rana gave a detailed briefing on the practical benefits of the facilities being provided by NADRA, stating that the effective use of modern technology would bring a significant improvement in the quality of policing.

IG Police Rao Abdul Kareem appreciated NADRA’s cooperation in extending technical support for crime control, community policing, and public services, and termed the agreement an important step towards modern policing in the province.

Later, the NADRA Chief Project Officer presented commemorative souvenirs to the Punjab IG Police and the DIG IT. DIG Establishment-I Suleman Sultan Rana, DIG Headquarters Dr Muhammad Abid Khan, and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.

IGP chairs introductory meeting of CCD

In a related development, an introductory meeting of the Crime Control Department (CCD) was held at the Central Police Office under the chairmanship of Inspector General of Police Punjab Rao Abdul Kareem.

During the meeting, Additional IG CCD Sohail Zafar Chattha briefed the Punjab IG Police in detail on the department’s mandate, objectives, targets, performance, and challenges.

IGP Abdul Kareem appreciated the overall performance of the CCD in curbing heinous crimes. The meeting also included a detailed review of the CCD’s infrastructure, human resources, logistics, and administrative matters.

Additional IG CCD Sohail Zafar Chattha said that, in collaboration with district police, the CCD is taking effective measures to eliminate serious crimes including robbery, theft, highway robbery, vehicle theft, and the snatching of cars and motorcycles.

He added that the CCD is supported by a criminals’ database, modern surveillance and monitoring systems, trackers, and advanced IT technology. He further informed that since the establishment of the CCD, a significant reduction in heinous crime has been recorded across the province, which he said was clear evidence of the department’s effective performance.

IGP Abdul Kareem said that under Maryam Nawaz’s Safe Punjab Vision, the elimination of all heinous crimes, including narcotics, would be ensured. He assured that additional resources would be provided to the CCD to help it achieve its objectives.

The meeting was attended by DIG CCD Waqasul Hassan, SSPs CCD, regional and district officers, and other senior police officials.