The district on Tuesday became the third city in Punjab, after Jalandhar and Mohali, to get an intelligent traffic management system (ITMS) and an upgraded Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), with director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav inaugurating the project.
Officials said the initiative is aimed at strengthening surveillance, improving traffic discipline and ensuring faster emergency response through technology-driven policing.
Under the ICCC project, around 1,700 high-resolution cameras have been installed at 259 key locations across the city, significantly expanding the surveillance grid.
The ITMS, operational at 46 locations, can automatically detect multiple traffic violations, including red light jumping, stop line violations, riding without helmets, triple riding, overspeeding, wrong-side driving and illegal parking.
The DGP said the system is powered by artificial intelligence, enabling real-time monitoring and automated enforcement. He said the ICCC integrates traffic police, police control room (PCR), Safe City infrastructure, district control rooms and wireless units, allowing better coordination during emergencies.
Calling it a major shift towards preventive policing, Yadav said PCR response time has been reduced from around 15 minutes to nearly 7-8 minutes due to integrated operations under one roof.
The system also includes a dedicated green corridor mechanism to facilitate swift movement of emergency vehicles, particularly in critical situations such as organ transplants.
{{/usCountry}}The system also includes a dedicated green corridor mechanism to facilitate swift movement of emergency vehicles, particularly in critical situations such as organ transplants.
{{/usCountry}}An advanced vehicle tracking system has also been introduced to help police identify and intercept suspicious vehicles in real time. “We are upgrading the police department. A total of ₹1,100 crore has been spent on police modernisation, of which ₹200 crore has gone towards computerisation and ₹32 crore towards the cyber crime wing,” the DGP said. He added that Punjab Police ranked fourth in India with a 19.5% recovery rate in cyber fraud cases.
During his visit, the DGP also interacted with police personnel at Police Lines, where he shared a meal during Bada Khana with over 550 officers and staff members. He said such engagements help strengthen unity and morale within the force while reinforcing its commitment to public service.
Zero tolerance against organised crime: DGP
Speaking to mediapersons, the DGP said Punjab Police has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against organised crime and gangsters operating extortion rackets from foreign soil.
He said police were tracing such criminals from different parts of the world and bringing them to justice. Yadav added that more than 80% of extortion calls made to businessmen and other residents were fake. In many cases, local criminals were found using the names of gangsters to issue threats.