Mumbai Police aims to integrate network of 3 lakh CCTV cameras to control crime in city | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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Mumbai Police aims to integrate network of 3 lakh CCTV cameras to control crime in city

ByVijay Kumar Yadav, Mumbai
Dec 17, 2020 01:01 AM IST

Mumbai Police wants to integrate its existing CCTV network with private and commercial stakeholders across the city to ensure the streets of Mumbai are safe, said senior police officers.

Come 2021, the city that never sleeps could also be in the list of cities considered to be among the safest as the Mumbai Police plans to have eyes on every street possible. The Mumbai Police’s plan envisages to integrate a system of nearly 3 lakh closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to its existing network. The city police force which currently has 5,300 CCTVs in its network is scheduled to add 7,000 more soon. In addition, Mumbai Police wants to integrate its existing CCTV network with private and commercial stakeholders across the city to ensure the streets of Mumbai are safe, said senior police officers.

The city police force which currently has 5,300 CCTVs in its network is scheduled to add 7,000 more soon.(HT PHOTO)
The city police force which currently has 5,300 CCTVs in its network is scheduled to add 7,000 more soon.(HT PHOTO)

As part of the plan, Mumbai Police started a project in November wherein they requested all major commercial establishments including shop owners, offices, hotels, community halls, religious places, and even residential societies to install CCTV cameras within a period of two months and warned to take legal action against those who refuse to abide by it. The deadline to install CCTVs end on January 7.

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“The plan is to have around 3 lakh digital eyes which would cover almost the entire city. We have planned this to ensure that crime rate goes down drastically,” said joint commissioner of police (law and order), Vishwas Nangre Patil.

Commenting on the compatibility of the cameras that establishments will install and the CCTV network of the police force, Mumbai Police spokesperson and deputy commissioner of police Chaitanya Siriprolu (operation) said, “Initially we thought of requesting establishments owners to install high-resolution cameras so that they would be compatible with the police’s monitoring system, but we dropped the plan as it could prove to be financially not viable for many.”

Patil said the presence of existing CCTVs has proved to be an effective deterrent to prevent crime, and that it was a step forward to prevent crime in the city. “While all the private CCTVs will not be directly integrated to the police surveillance and monitoring system, which uses comparatively advanced technology and cameras, these additional private cameras will compliment the network that is already in place. It will not only act as a deterrent to criminals psychologically, but it will also help police officers identify criminals and will aid in post-incident investigations including collection of evidence,” he added.

When asked about the punitive action against those who refuse to install a CCTV, Patil said, “If an establishment is located in a crime hot spot or accident-prone zone or is in a densely populated area, and the owner refuses to install a CCTV, we will first request him and make him understand the need for it. If the person still does not adhere to it, then action will be taken against them under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code. We did not want to forcefully impose this on everyone as we feel it will be unfair and hence have given them a period of two months which ends on January 7,” said Patil. The officer further said that it is important for people to realise that these cameras are going to benefit them, and hence public participation is essential.

The existing CCTV network has a command and control centre at the police headquarters, and the CCTV feed can be viewed from the Mumbai traffic police control room. The regional additional and deputy commissioners too can keep a watch on the CCTV feed. Local police stations also have access to the feed of cameras installed in their jurisdiction.

“The Mumbai Police gathered information on the blind spots from various police stations. Now new cameras will be installed on arterial roads, slums to monitor suspicious activities. Some cameras will also be installed at key spots on the coastline to beef up surveillance,” a senior police officer said.

Home minister Anil Deshmukh had, in February 2020, informed that the government will amend the current rules and make installation of CCTV cameras mandatory in every new building coming up in the state. The government will also connect the feed of such CCTV cameras with police’s existing network.

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Nikhil Banker, secretary, Marine Drive Residents Association Group (MDRAG), said, “There are several government CCTV cameras which are not working, and despite several complaints nothing has been done. First, they should bring the existing system in order before asking citizens or commercial establishments to install CCTV cameras. They don’t want to improve themselves and just want to enforce everything on citizens.”

They should increase the number of CCTV cameras. Main by-lanes should be covered by government cameras. “Why should resident associations or people of the area bear the expenses? Citizens already pay taxes, and making them bear this additional expense would not be fair,” Banker said.

He added that if citizens are voluntarily coming forward and helping the police, then that’s not a problem, but it should not be imposed forcefully. “Instead of asking citizens and traders to install CCTVs why not ask MPs and MLAs to shell out funds and get the cameras installed,” said Banker adding, there should be some kind of exchange of dialogue or discussion between all the stakeholders before the police introduces such plans.

“I appreciate the noble thought, but is should not be a compulsion. It should not be enforced without taking people into the confidence,” Banker said.

Viren Shah, president of Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association which has nearly 3 lakh shopkeepers as its members, said, “We understand the importance of having CCTVs and also encourage our shop owners to install them. But shops and establishments owners should not be pressurised to install CCTVs. We, along with the police, can put efforts together to ensure that maximum areas are covered. If any places are left, then help of elected public representatives can be taken or NGOs can be roped in to install CCTVs or help can be sought from private sponsors or civic authority. Many of our establishments already linked their CCTVs with local police stations and are helping them. But if any individual shop owner or establishment does not install camera then he/she cannot be punished.”

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