Punjab Safe Cities Authority A National Security Project

Sumaira FH Published August 18, 2018 | 06:26 PM

Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) was a national security project and its data was absolutely secure as per globally followed standards.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Aug, 2018 ) :Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) was a national security project and its data was absolutely secure as per globally followed standards.

The PSCA Chief Operating Officer Akbar Nasir Khan expressed these views while talking to a researcher's delegation here Saturday.

He said that the law enforcement agencies should follow certain procedures to acquire PSCA data for investigation and legal processes, adding that it was not possible to share any of the data with anyone without following these procedures.

Secondly, PSCA was highly concerned with the public privacy. All 8,000 cameras were installed on main roads, markets, important installations and routes with a specific focus of securing the city, he maintained.

The COO said that PSCA's privacy policy was implemented in letter and spirit, whereas people can read it on PSCA website "psca.gop.pk".

The functions of PSCA were based on proper legislative mandate from the provincial assembly in the form of Punjab Safe Cities Authority Ordinance 2015 and Punjab Safe Cities Authority Act 2016, he added.

To a question, the COO said that police response time in Lahore has improved by 12 to 15 minutes due to PSCA intervention through integrated emergency response system. The authority was providing help in improving law enforcement capacity of Punjab police with timely response to emergencies and crime prevention by equipping police with state of the art technology, he added.

To ensure women safety, the PSCA launched a special women protection application and launched awareness campaign in connection with concerned quarters.

To another question regarding DRF's recently published report, the COO said that digital rights foundation's research regarding PSCA has no due verification and authentication process. The authority was not in any agreement or MoU for research with the said institution and its clearly mentioned in their report that they have relied on secondary sources andmedia reports.