As per data provided by Punjab Police, 2,367 CCTV cameras are also being installed at 585 locations on the Second Line of Defence at the border for at a cost of Rs 49.58 crore (Photo/@PunjabPoliceInd)In a concentrated effort to counter the drone menace from Pakistan, which pushes drugs and arms into Punjab from across the international border, the Punjab Police has drawn up an ambitious plan to increase its drone interdiction capabilities in 2026 by inducting hand-held, static, and vehicle-mounted anti-drone systems in large numbers. Around Rs 150 crore will be spent on acquiring new systems.The plans to deal with the drone menace also look towards integrating the Drone Quick Reaction Teams with Village Defence Committees for faster and more effective drone detection. Nearly 300 drones have been intercepted by Border Security Force (BSF), Punjab Police and other central agencies along the Indo-Pak border in 2025.Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said that around 106 handheld anti-drone guns with Radio Frequency and GPS detection and jamming, and 14 static/vehicle-mounted Anti-Drone Systems (Detection and Neutralization) systems will be acquired.The static/vehicle-mounted ADS will cost Rs 10-12 crore per system, while the handheld anti-drone guns will cost Rs 10 lakh each. Police has requested the state for Rs 153 crore for these acquisitions, and an initial allocation of Rs 50 crore has already been made in the current financial year.Also Read | Drone sightings and terror alerts ahead of Republic Day, central team reviews security in J&K“We are working in close coordination with BSF and other agencies. Our personnel have already participated in several exercises concerning anti-drone training, including Exercise MILAP, Agni Pariksha, Visphot Kavach, clusterised Joint Counter-Terrorism Exercises, and Counter-Terrorist Exercise (Amritsar) in which police personnel were imparted anti-drone training,” the DGP said.As per data provided by BSF, Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence has increased its efforts to push in drugs, arms and ammunition through drones and other means into Punjab. The number of weapons seized by BSF in 2024 was 36, while the figure went to more than 200 in 2025. While 414 rounds of ammunition were seized along the Indo-Pak border in 2024, the seizure was nearly 3,630 in 2025.As per data provided by Punjab Police, 2,367 CCTV cameras are also being installed at 585 locations on the Second Line of Defence at the border for at a cost of Rs 49.58 crore.Story continues below this ad“As many as 896 personnel, SOG Hit, Ghatak, SSG and ARP teams have been deployed in border districts. This integration of field policing with technology-enabled surveillance has strengthened the security grid in the state,” the DGP said.As far as allocation of funds for police is concerned, senior officers said that the Punjab government has spent over Rs 800 crore on modernisation of Punjab Police in the last three financial years, with major upgrades set to continue in 2026.The DGP said that all the SP rank officers in the field have been given new vehicles; besides, all the Police Stations and Police Posts have also been equipped with new vehicles.He added that the state government has approved a mega police building project worth Rs 426 crore to be spent over the next three years. “This includes new headquarters for the Cyber Crime division at Phase 4 in Mohali, new police lines in Nawanshahr and Malerkotla districts, and 11 other new police station buildings. New ANTF range offices will be opened in Ludhiana, Ferozepur, and Jalandhar, with existing ones upgraded with modern gadgets and forensic tools,” he said.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd