Islamabad police receive 2,700 fake calls daily: IG Qazi Jamilur Rehman

• Islamabad police chief appeals to the masses to avoid making hoax calls as it may put someone's life in danger.
• Inspector-general directs 15 authorities to book frequent callers and proceed with legal action against them.
• "If we are sent to a hoax call, it means we’re not available when someone really needs our help," regrets police chief.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police receive approximately 2,700 fake calls each day, which is badly affecting the police response system, Inspector-General Qazi Jamilur Rehman said Sunday.

The police chief appealed to the masses to avoid making hoax calls as it may put someone's life in danger.

“If we are sent to a hoax call, it means we’re not available when someone really needs our help. It could be a matter of life or death,” the IG said in a statement.

He said that police emergency department 15 plays an important role in receiving and transmitting calls from the public.

Read more: Islamabad rolls out chip-based smart driving license

Unfortunately, however, it receives approximately 2,700 fake calls each day that not only waste the time of the operator but may cause a delay in responding to an emergency situation, he observed.

The IG directed 15 authorities to book frequent callers and proceed with legal action against them.

SMS alert service launched

The Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) have continued to embrace digital technology through innovation to address public issues, besides improving the performance of the force.

The department has taken several initiatives like issuance of smart driving licenses, online appointment system, SMS alert service for the convenience of motorists, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Farrukh Rashid told APP.

The deployment of speedy cameras at major thoroughfares in the city has provided a significant reduction in traffic mishaps, he said.

Read more: In a first, Pakistan to employ drones to supervise highways and motorways

A campaign ''Safer Roads'' was underway to check various road violations such as tinted glass papers, unauthorized number plates high beams and other road violations.

ITP education wing was conducting awareness campaigns on traffic laws time to time and distributing educating material to sensitize the drivers, the SSP observed.

According to ITP data available with APP, over Rs20 million fine was collected from drivers by issuing as many as 73,609 challans over various traffic violations during the ongoing year.

Some 1,420 were ticketed against over-speeding, 2,767 for tinted glasses, 566 for illegal lights, 2,590 for lane violation, 8,816 for not using a helmet and 3,150 for not fastening their seat belt.

Similarly, 1,831 people were fined for using mobile phones while driving, 737 over wrong parking and 3,136 were charged for using fancy number plates.