Police moot CCTV cameras at every private premises

Shops, supermarkets, offices, commercial establishments, residential complexes, etc in Bengaluru will have to compulsorily instal CCTV cameras on their premises if the government accepts a proposal by the police.

Police have drafted a Public Safety Act, on the lines of the one in Andhra Pradesh. A proposal in this regard would be submitted to the government soon, Police Commissioner M N Reddi said here on Wednesday.

“The AP government’s PSA makes it mandatory for the public to instal CCTV cameras on their premises. We have modified the Act for Bengaluru and submit a proposal to the government soon. It will help curb crimes and trace criminals, besides generating public source of information and enabling us to react fast,” the City police chief said during an interaction at the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI).

In addition, the police will use Rs 75 crore sanctioned under the Mega City project to instal as many CCTV cameras as possible. Bengaluru will soon have the highest number of CCTV cameras in the country.

Besides, the police will introduce the Smart Signal System (SSS) to gauge the volume of vehicular movement at traffic junctions and set time limit for traffic moving in different directions. “Right now, we are unable to understand the volume of traffic moving in different directions at junctions, hence the congestion on one side and free movement on the other. The SSS will have sensors connected to the Traffic Management Centre and help set time limit for different directions,” he said.

Police stations will soon have links to burglar alarms set up at business establishments. Linking burglar alarms to the jurisdictional police station will help the police rush to the spot quickly and prevent crimes. It will be a pilot project, Reddi added.

100 more FIR kiosks
Encouraged by the success of an FIR registration centre set up at Mantri Square in Malleswaram, police have decided to establish 100 more such kiosks across the City.

The move will help the public to lodge complaints and avoid jurisdictional issues. It’s like one police station for the entire City. One such centre would be set up on the FKCCI premises on KG Road, Reddi said.

The police will shortly open 15,000 history-sheets against anti-social elements at various police stations to track new-generation rowdies and prevent their criminal activities, he added.