The Peshawar Safe City Project has integrated drone and anti-drone technology into its central command system, adding aerial surveillance to the city’s security network.
According to police officials, this is the first time in Pakistan that a drone unit and an anti-drone system have been linked to a Safe City project. The integration puts both the drones and the system that watches for hostile drones under one command roof.
Peshawar Safe City drone coverage
The anti-drone system can detect and monitor drones within a five-kilometre radar range. When it spots suspicious drone activity, it will automatically generate alerts and notify the Safe City control room.
The integration will also enable round-the-clock aerial surveillance of sensitive locations, traffic and criminal activity. Police officials said the aerial view will help authorities identify potential security and terrorist threats more quickly than ground cameras alone can.
Live feeds from Safe City drones will allow officials to monitor field operations in real time. The system will also provide operational support to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), officials added.
The drone surveillance system will operate in four districts: Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat. That spread matters because the three southern districts sit closer to the areas where militant activity has repeatedly threatened police and security forces.
Why drones change the picture
A Safe City network usually relies on fixed cameras on streets and at junctions. Those cameras watch set points, and they can be blocked, damaged or avoided. A drone adds a moving eye that can follow an incident, look over a crowd, or check a road ahead of a convoy.
An anti-drone system adds the other half of the picture. In recent years, small drones have been used for smuggling, spying and attacks in several parts of the world, and police forces have had to learn to spot them. A five-kilometre radar range gives the control room time to react before an unknown drone reaches a sensitive site.
Linking both systems to one command centre is the step that sets Peshawar apart. Instead of separate teams watching separate screens, the same control room will see the drone feed, the anti-drone alerts and the existing camera network together. That should shorten the gap between spotting a threat and sending a response.
There are limits to what the system can do on its own. Drones need trained operators, clear rules on where they can fly, and maintenance. Alerts still need people to judge them, since not every drone in the sky is a threat. Farmers, journalists, wedding photographers and hobbyists all fly drones too, so the control room will have to tell routine flights apart from hostile ones.
What to watch next
The first test will be day-to-day use. Officials have not yet published figures on how many drones the system will run, how many operators will staff it, or how alerts will be shared with district police. Those details will decide whether the system becomes a working tool or a showcase.
The choice of districts also points to the security logic behind the project. Peshawar is the provincial capital and the hub of the network, while Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat have faced repeated attacks on police and security personnel. Aerial surveillance there could help protect patrols, monitor roads and support operations.
The project also fits a wider push to use technology in policing and public safety. KP police have recently received ambulances and armoured vehicles, and Pakistan has set out a $1bn national AI ecosystem plan running to 2030. At the same time, the KP government has ordered a review of 74 PTI-era laws, and new industrial units worth Rs400 million have started operating in the Nowshera Economic Zone.
If the Peshawar model works, other Safe City projects in Pakistan are likely to copy it. If it struggles, the lessons will still matter, since drone threats are not going away.
Frequently asked questions
What has Peshawar Safe City added?
It has linked a drone unit and an anti-drone system to its central command system, allowing aerial surveillance and drone detection from one control room.
How far can the anti-drone system detect drones?
It can detect and monitor drones within a five-kilometre radar range, and it sends automatic alerts to the Safe City control room.
Which districts will the system cover?
Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat, according to police officials.
