CCTVs a security cover, but cameras need maintenance

The sense of safety is a fragile thing, it can be broken in a jiffy. A disturbance in the neighbourhood, a rumour of chain-snatchers roaming in the area, news of an elderly person murdered in his own house, or sound of footsteps while walking on a dimly-lit road... All these and more can take away that feeling of ‘safety’ bit by bit.

But it does not have to be this way, feel many Bengalureans. Alertness can prevent many a crime. And this is where CCTVs gain significance.

In most cases, says Sanjaynagar Residents’ Welfare Association's Vignan Huchamasthi Gowda, outsiders who come from other districts or states are more prone to commit a crime and vanish as they have little chance of being recognised.

The police, in such cases, are left with negligible to no clue at all. “Having a CCTV camera has changed that. Now, footage from the camera can be used to detect the culprits,” he says.

Gowda adds that he always requests people to install CCTV cameras outside their buildings. This, he says, “acts as a major deterrent to crime. We have planned to install cameras at 12 entrances of Sanjaynagar and the BBMP is helping, too.”

Echoing similar thoughts, Diana Bharucha of HAL 3rd stage says: “CCTVs have become synonymous with new age security. But although we have requested the local MLA and corporators, nothing has materialised so far. People have installed CCTV cameras in front of their houses, but those do not cover the roads. Speaking of which, I feel most CCTV cameras on the city roads do not work.”

However, simply installing a CCTV camera near the house is not enough. She says it has to be maintained properly. “These are electronic devices, and they need maintenance from time to time. Wherever the government has installed these cameras, they should be kept in good condition. Otherwise, it is a waste of the technology,” she says.

Nithin Sheshadri, president of Koramangala 3rd Block RWA, says that CCTVs have become indispensable if you want to keep your area and home alert and protected. “Plenty of buildings in Koramangala 1st and 3rd Blocks have CCTV cameras installed. Now in 4th Block, the work is going on. These cameras have helped solve many minor cases including those of chain-snatching in the area. The footages have been helpful to the police, too,” he says.

Yunus Ahmed Sharrif of Nagarwara RWA talks about a huge improvement in the area after installing the CCTV cameras. “Incidents of vehicle stealing have become much less in the area. There is fear among the miscreants now, they know that they will be caught. Besides, people who casually used to litter the area earlier, have become a bit cautious,” he says.
‘
Jeevan (name changed), a security guard at a residential complex in the city, says that the cameras help him a lot in carrying on with his daily duties. “It has become easier than before. Although we do check people and ask for their credentials before they enter the premise, knowing that it will all be recorded and can be used later as evidence, is better. It is like having a backup,” he says.

V P Bahubaliraju, secretary of the Jayanagar 5th Block Residents’ Welfare Association says that CCTV cameras have substituted the night guards. “We do not need watchmen at night now that we have these cameras. In my experience, it is problematic for the night guard to not sleep the whole time, we can avoid that situation now,” he says.