Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, has long struggled with organised crime, street violence, and large-scale offences that endangered public security. Rural belts, riverine zones, and districts of southern Punjab were particularly vulnerable, often beyond the effective reach of traditional policing. In recent years, however, the Punjab Police’s Crime Control Department (CCD) has emerged as a fast-response unit that combines speed, technology, and intelligence-led strategies. Its operations have strengthened law enforcement across metropolitan hubs while also extending long-overdue relief to marginalised and crime-hit regions.
Official Punjab Police Crime Records (2024) now show a steady decline in violent offences, much of it credited to CCD’s targeted dismantling of entrenched criminal networks. Notorious offenders who once terrorised communities have been apprehended, with some even swearing on the Holy Quran to renounce crime altogether. These symbolic moments reflect how CCD has reshaped Punjab’s law-and-order landscape, turning once lawless zones into secure areas and sending a province-wide message of accountability and deterrence.
CCD’s integration with Safe Cities
One of CCD’s core strengths is its integration with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA). Command-and-control centres in major districts provide CCD with real-time intelligence through closed-circuit television (CCTV), automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), facial recognition, and geo-fencing. These tools help track stolen vehicles, monitor offender movements, and alert patrols within seconds. Safe Cities data has also strengthened evidence-based prosecution, with digital footage and logs forming the backbone of court cases. By combining PSCA’s monitoring with CCD’s rapid response, Punjab has moved from reactive policing to a proactive model capable of intercepting crime before it spreads.
Mandate and swift operations
CCD functions with a clear mandate: to outpace traditional police units through pre-emptive action and rapid dismantling of criminal networks. Its operations include intelligence-led raids, mobile surveillance, and swift arrests. A key focus has been the crackdown on black Vigo vehicles linked to abductions and the enforcement of firearm display bans that once emboldened offenders.
One of CCD’s core strengths is its integration with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA). Command-and-control centres in major districts provide CCD with real-time intelligence.
Integration with Safe Cities Authority further strengthens these efforts, with ANPR, facial recognition, and emergency platforms like Pukar-15 and women’s safety apps ensuring instant transmission of citizen reports to field units, closing the gap between crime reporting and intervention.
Case study: Chuhng anti-rape operation
CCD’s speedy intervention was evident in Lahore’s Chuhng area, where four armed men raped a newly married woman. Within hours, Police Inspector Shahid’s team, aided by surveillance technology, traced the culprits. Three were killed in an armed encounter after they opened fire on police, while the fourth remains at large. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif hailed the police for swiftly nabbing the culprits, showcasing how CCD and Safe Cities combine real-time alerts with precise field action.
Addressing criticism head-on
While some human rights observers have accused CCD of engaging in “extra-judicial killings,” police leadership insists that these incidents occur only in self-defence when suspects open fire. They note that all such cases are documented with evidence, including CCTV footage, forensic reports, and witness testimony, before being presented in court.
IG Punjab Dr Usman Anwar has argued that misrepresenting lawful defensive action undermines public trust in officers who risk their lives daily. “We do not celebrate loss of life,” he stated, “but we will not allow criminals to endanger citizens without consequence.”
Leadership and political will
The CCD’s transformation has been driven by the combined vision of CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif, IG Dr Usman Anwar, and Additional IG Suhail Zafar Chattha. Maryam Nawaz has publicly praised CCD’s role in restoring peace, especially in cases where long-feared criminals surrendered or repented publicly. IG Punjab has pushed for professional training, modern policing tools, and public engagement to build trust. Additional IG Chattha, known for his operational decisiveness, has expanded the use of geo-fencing, hotspot monitoring, and traffic governance tools to anticipate threats before they erupt into violence.
The case for more resources
Despite its successes, CCD leadership stresses that new resources are vital to sustain progress. They recommend:
- 38 new police stations for wider coverage
- 100 surveillance drones and 10 advanced locators for suspect tracking
- 2,000 elite personnel for high-risk operations
- 290 kanals of land for training and operations
- a modern IT centre for integrated criminal data
- official residences to improve staff retention
These upgrades would further strengthen CCD’s integration with Safe Cities Authority, expanding camera coverage, ensuring power backup, and enabling faster data analytics.
A few officers who led from the front
CCD’s record is filled with stories of bravery, with several officers playing a defining role in reducing crime across Punjab. DSP Mian Asim Iftikhar dismantled a southern Punjab dacoit gang, recovering millions in stolen goods and rescuing kidnap victims. Inspector Muhammad Faisal neutralised armed robbers in Kasur and Sheikhupura, while Inspector Abdul Hameed captured associates of the Chotu Gang in Rajanpur’s riverine belt. Inspector Imran Akhtar liberated villages from Kacha-area dacoits in Rahim Yar Khan, and Inspector Sidique Chena of Faisalabad led the encounter in which Mohsin, a notorious rapist of up to 20 children who blackmailed parents through obscene videos, was killed. These cases show that CCD’s impact extends beyond big cities into long-neglected areas, curbing dacoities, robberies, kidnappings, and even heinous sexual crimes.
District-level successes in the CCD network
In Bhakkar, under the dynamic leadership of DPO Shehzad Rafiq Awan, the police worked in close coordination with CCD to curb criminal activity across the district. Inspector Abdul Sattar Atif of CCD Bhakkar played a vital role in tracking and arresting members of organised dacoit gangs, leading successful operations in hard-to-reach riverine and border areas. Safe Cities technology further strengthened these efforts through mobile CCTV units and geo-fenced alerts, enabling teams to intercept suspects before they crossed district lines.
Punjab Police statistics for early 2025 indicate armed dacoity down by over 30 per cent, organised crime-related murders reduced by 25 per cent, and kidnappings for ransom at their lowest in a decade.
This combined strategy of police intelligence, CCD’s specialised resources, and Safe Cities’ technological support dismantled several notorious networks, reducing incidents of dacoity and theft by nearly 70 per cent. For his exceptional performance, Inspector Atif was awarded Rs2 million by IG Punjab Dr Usman Anwar and Rs100,000 by SSP CCD Sargodha region.
Crime reduction in Muzaffargarh
In Muzaffargarh, under the effective command of DPO Syed Ghazanfar Abbas, the CCD has demonstrated remarkable efficiency throughout 2025. Coordinated intelligence-based operations led to the arrest of several hardened criminals, the dismantling of dacoit hideouts in riverine areas, and the swift neutralisation of repeat offenders. With CCD’s specialised support and the integration of Safe Cities surveillance tools, crime incidents in the district witnessed a significant decline, particularly in cases of robbery and violent offences. This proactive policing approach not only curtailed criminal networks but also restored public confidence, making Muzaffargarh one of the more secure districts in South Punjab.
A changing crime landscape
Punjab Police statistics for early 2025 indicate armed dacoity down by over 30 per cent, organised crime-related murders reduced by 25 per cent, and kidnappings for ransom at their lowest in a decade. The synergy between CCD’s fieldwork and Safe Cities’ surveillance has transformed Punjab’s policing from a reactive model into one that anticipates and prevents crime.
Constructive path forward
CCD’s trajectory shows that specialised policing, backed by strong political commitment, can significantly shift the crime landscape. Yet, sustaining this success requires, timely release of funds and provision of modern equipment, skilled personnel to operate and maintain advanced technology, expanded coverage into rural and border areas and improved welfare measures for frontline personnel. It is hoped that the Punjab government will continue to invest in strengthening policing across the province to ensure greater safety for its residents.
The writer, who holds an M.Phil in English Literature, is an educationist, crime analyst, and youth commentator affiliated with PML-N.
The writer, who holds an M.Phil in English Literature, is an educationist, crime analyst, and youth commentator affiliated with PML-N.
