On the directions of IGP Punjab, the Punjab Safe Cities authority (PSCA) has completed its Public Perception Survey in Lahore. Survey was conducted by authority’s research and innovation team in collaboration with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) professor Hassan. The 2-week-long survey engaged 2100 people from different locations across the city. According to the survey results, a vast majority of citizens expressed satisfaction over initiatives of PSCA and praised its performance. According to the details, 85 percent of the citizens said that the crime rate is reduced in the city due to PSCA. 91% of the citizens expressed satisfaction over the E-challan project and said that traffic management has improved in the city due to PSCA interventions. Citizens were of the view that after Safe City traffic interventions they save more than 40% of their time and energy on highways which was earlier wasted due to unnecessary ques and congestions. The estimated cost of saved time and fuel on the highways was Rs. 38 billion annually which is double the total cost of this national security project. In the survey, 89% of the citizens expressed their confidence in the 15 emergency system. 85% of the citizens described safe city model as the only way forward on modern day policing. In response to a question, 85% of the citizens said that if they had Rs 10 crore with them and given the decision power, they would invest the amount in cameras and security equipment, keeping in view the significance of this security project. The chief operating officer of the authority said that the survey results will be shared with relevant departments and stake holders in a special briefing shortly and the journey to improve the project will continue in light of the research.
