The Bangalore City Police are likely to set up a centralised command centre for their patrol vehicles and closed circuit televisions cameras to ensure speedier response to complaints by citizens.

The Home department has planned a slew of measures in the citizen-response system of the police in view of the spate of crimes in the City. The police have already obtained approval to set up around 3,000 CCTV cameras in the City.

However, it is learnt that the government has directed the police to set up a centralised command centre before installing these cameras. Officials said that City Police Commissioner M N Reddi had been asked to form a dedicated team of personnel for round-the-clock monitoring of CCTV footages, before the installation of the cameras.

The City police are presently in the process of drawing up a list of locations where the CCTV cameras will be installed.. The cameras would be located primarily in the Central Business District (CBD) and other sensitive locations in the City.

It is estimated that installation of cameras across the City requires at least Rs 25 crore.

Communication system
The City police would also set up a centralised communication system for dispatching the Hoysala (four-wheeler) Cheetha (bike) patrolling vehicles to crime spots.

“Under the present system, all patrol vehicles are being routed from jurisdictional police stations.Once a centralised system is in place, all patrol vehicles will be given directions from a single command.

This will improve the response system of the police to address crimes, and reach the crime spots sooner,” said Additional Chief Secretary S K Pattanayak.

Sources in the police department state that the command centre is in the pipeline and certain Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) have to be finalised. At present, every police station has one Hoysala and two Cheetha vehicles. The police stations in sensitive areas have double the number.
DH News Service