LAHORE, May 28: Work has begun on a $1.9 million Technical Assistance Programme sponsored by the Asian Development Bank for computer networking of all police stations in Punjab, it is learnt on Sunday.

Punjab police Additional IG Dr Azhar Hasan Nadeem told Dawn that four districts — Gujranwala, Gujrat, Multan, Faisalabad — had been declared ‘Model Districts’ for the launch of the programme.

He said a software for the computer networking of police stations in the four model districts had been completed. “We are working on linking all Punjab police stations in 35 districts to one computer server.”

He said initially a crime data base was being prepared in the four model districts.

Mr Nadeem said the networking would be part of public safety reform project, which would further include a community policing programme. Initially, he added, the data available at all the police stations would be used for investigation and campaigns against criminals. But, at a later stage, he said, the data would also be made available to the public through a website launched for the online registration of complaints regarding police working and law and order.—Asif Shahzad