The newly-installed modern cameras at international airports including Karachi to identify suspects and wanted persons could not be activated even after a year. 

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the main reason behind the non-functional of the latest cameras is believed to be the mutual conflict of the institutions.   

The officials of the Civil Aviation Authority could not hand over the administration of the monitoring room of the cameras to any institute. 

As per rules, the border management system is controlled by FIA while Facial Recognition Systems (FRS) are operated by the Anti-Narcotics Force and Customs.

The fixed system based on capturing and scanning people's images has been declared the responsibility of the Airport Security Force (ASF). 

With the cooperation of Japan, high-resolution cameras were installed at Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Multan airports.

The FRS is widely used globally for mass identification in large crowds where physical interaction with people for things e.g for fingerprinting is not always feasible.

With the help of installed cameras, pictures of every person entering the terminal building will be recorded at different places. This system will be linked to a computer application that identifies and certifies a person from an image of the human face that has been captured on video on the CCTV cameras.

With the help of this system, even 60% blurry images can be made recognizable. The image of the suspect or wanted person will be displayed in the alarm monitoring room along with the corresponding camera number. 

Through the system, the arrest and action of the suspected and wanted persons will be possible in a short time. 

Pertinent to mention, it is the need of the hour, in a country like Pakistan where there is a rising threat of terrorism. In the first phase, a system for scanning people through facial structure and impressions will be introduced at Karachi Airport with the help and assistance of the Japanese government which provided 200 million yen for installing an advanced FRS at JIA. The system is being installed using Japanese technologies, considered to be the most reliable and secure technique.

With the installation of this system, passengers will be able to be identified from the time they enter the limits of the airport to the immigration counter. The system is capable of identifying suspected criminals in seconds, making it easier for law enforcement agencies to reach those involved in illegal activities. 

Reporter Samar Abbas