Chandigarh, Dec 31 (IANS) Punjab Police will establish a second line of defence along the India–Pakistan border by installing 2,367 CCTV cameras at 585 strategic locations, with an estimated outlay of Rs 49.58 crore, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday.

Addressing the media here, the DGP said the move is part of a broader technology-driven security upgrade aimed at strengthening border surveillance and internal security. He added that the Anti-Drone System (ADS) fleet will be expanded from the existing three operational systems to nine in the near term, with six systems currently under procurement and 10 more planned in a phased manner.

Drone response teams have already been activated and will be further strengthened next year through greater coordination with Village Defence Committee (VDC) members, he said.

Outlining a technology-led “Vision 2026” for Punjab Police, Yadav said the force is focusing on a comprehensive infrastructure and capability upgrade. A major component of this plan is the modernisation of the Dial 112 emergency response system.

“A dedicated central control room building for Dial 112 will be established in Mohali at a cost of Rs 52 crore, while the vehicle fleet will be augmented with an additional investment of Rs 50 crore,” the DGP said. He added that the objective is to reduce the current average response time of 12–13 minutes to around seven to eight minutes.

Simultaneously, district-level control rooms are being upgraded at a cost of Rs 25 crore to improve coordination and ensure faster incident management, directly contributing to the reduced response-time target, he said.

On police modernisation, the DGP said the state government has spent over Rs 800 crore on upgrading the force over the past three years. All Superintendent of Police-rank officers posted in the field have been provided with new vehicles, while police stations and posts across the state have also been equipped with additional vehicles.

He said the government has approved a mega police infrastructure project worth Rs 426 crore to be implemented over the next three years. This includes a new headquarters for the Cyber Crime Division at Phase IV in Mohali, new police lines in Nawanshahr and Malerkotla districts, and the construction of 11 new police station buildings.

In addition, new Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) range offices will be opened in Ludhiana, Ferozepur and Jalandhar, while existing ANTF units will be upgraded with modern equipment and forensic tools.

Referring to the implementation of new criminal laws, Yadav said a witness protection scheme has already been notified by the government, which is expected to help improve conviction rates.

He also said network connectivity at police stations will be upgraded from the existing 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps, depending on workload and operational requirements.

–IANS

vg/pgh