Punjab’s Rs5 billion Safe Jail Project will introduce AI-based monitoring, smart communication systems and more than 12,000 surveillance cameras across prisons.
LAHORE: The Punjab government is moving to modernise prison security through a Rs5 billion Safe Jail Project that will introduce artificial intelligence, smart communication systems and more than 12,000 surveillance cameras across the province’s prisons.
The proposals were discussed during a meeting at the Punjab Home Department, where a delegation of Chinese experts presented plans for establishing a Central Command and Control Centre.
The meeting was chaired by Additional Secretary Prisons Roman Borana and attended by senior prison officials, project authorities and representatives involved in implementing the security programme.
Among the proposed technologies is an AI-based content management system aimed at strengthening monitoring and helping authorities identify unusual or prohibited activity inside prisons.
Officials also discussed smart video-conferencing facilities for the central command centre to improve communication between prisons and senior authorities and strengthen supervision.
The installation of panic buttons and public address systems was also considered for prisoners’ cells, barracks and other sensitive areas. The facilities are intended to help security personnel respond quickly during emergencies.
Under the first phase of the Safe Jail Project, security infrastructure will be upgraded at all 10 central prisons, District Jail Lahore and 10 command and control centres.
More than 12,000 modern surveillance cameras and other security equipment will be installed across the province. The surveillance network will cover key areas, including entry and exit points, administrative offices, barracks, boundary walls, jammer zones, kitchens, hospitals and libraries.
Officials said automated monitoring would be used to identify suspicious, prohibited or irregular activities and generate alerts for relevant authorities. The system is expected to help security personnel respond more quickly when potential threats are detected.
Dedicated control rooms are also being established at prisons and the offices of regional deputy inspectors general of prisons, the inspector general of prisons and the Punjab Home Department.
The network is designed to provide centralised monitoring of prison security and give senior officials greater oversight of operations across Punjab.
The Punjab government has allocated Rs5 billion for the project, which is scheduled to be completed by March 2027.
Borana said prison reforms were among the provincial government’s key priorities. He added that, on the instructions of Home Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi, progress on the Safe Jail Project was being monitored daily.
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