Punjab authorizes body cams and panic buttons for police stations.

A brief submitted by the Inspector General (IG) Punjab requesting funding for the acquisition of body cameras and panic buttons for police stations around the province has been approved by the Punjab government.

Police authorities said that although body cameras will be utilized to improve transparency in operations, crime monitoring, and investigations, panic buttons will be put to guarantee the prompt registration and resolution of residents’ complaints.

To enable the prompt registration of complaints, 1,096 panic buttons will be placed outside 746 police stations and 350 police posts throughout Punjab, including 84 in Lahore, according to officials.

In a similar vein, 17,812 body cams will be bought for police units and stations. There will be four body cameras for each police post and twenty-two for each police station. The cameras must be used by police officers and staff during operations, checkpoints, and investigations.

According to police officials, a single panic button costs Rs135,000, making the total cost of 1,096 devices Rs148 million. It will cost more than Rs1.69 billion to buy 17,812 body cams, each costing Rs95,000.

The project will be finished in two months, according to officials, following which the body cameras and panic buttons will be completely functional.