HE volatility of Karachi`s law and order situation is well known, and serious enough to have necessitated a targeted Rangers-led operation that has been under way since last September. While this has faced criticism from some quarters with regard to some of the methods being used, there is no dispute that all legal means must be employed to bring crime under control. One of the answers the Sindh police have come up with is technology: in 2010, the police launched a video surveillance system which, at the cost of some Rs500m, saw the setting up of 1,000 cameras on the city`s roads at sensitive locations. Later, this project was expanded.

And on Friday, it was reported that the Sindh police have put together a fleet of 100 mobile police vans that are equipped with surveillance cameras. If the move proves helpful in police operations, more vans will be similarly equipped.

On the face of it, this is a commendable manoeuvre, for there is no argument that law-enforcement agencies around the world have found that technology can in many ways make their jobs easier.

Surveillance cameras act as the eyes and ears of the police, reducing the need for boots on the ground and freeing up manpower for more urgent activities. However, there is a catch, a serious one: video footage only helps if there is a system in place for cross-referencing the faces caught on camera with a larger database of citizens and suspected or known lawbreakers for the purposes of identification.

This is where there is a disconnect in Karachi and elsewhere. As a result, there have been several instances, among them bank heists, where the criminals haven`t even bothered to cover their faces, knowing no doubt that even if caught on tape, the chances of them being identified will be minimal. Without a cross-referencing system in place, investing in the technology may not produce results. The situation is easily remedied, though, and it is time that this was done.