Thiruvananthapuram: If everything goes as per the expectations of the city police, the capital city will soon come under a web of
surveillance cameras.
City police commissioner P Prakash has set in motion a project which aims to establish surveillance camera networks in the city with private partnership.
“I have already held talks with representatives of various associations, including residents’ associations, restaurants and bar owners’ association, merchants’ associations and even representatives of wayside shop owners in this regard,” the commissioner said.
He said that the main purpose of this initiative was to secure the areas of the city which are not covered by the existing
surveillance network of the police.
The surveillance network of the police includes 233 cameras in the city. Most of them are installed along major roads running through the heart of the city. The new initiative is expected to supplement the existing network.
The works in this regard have already begun at many places. According to Medical College station house officer C Binukumar, 90% works in this regard in residential areas under his station limits have been completed.
P Prakash said that he was hoping to complete the project by this month end. Participation in this initiative is voluntary. Though the associations will have to bear the expenses of the works, the police will decide where the new cameras shall come up.
He also dismissed doubts regarding abundance of cameras becoming an issue with regard to privacy of citizens.
“All these cameras are coming up at public places. We will ensure that they are facing roads and not households or shops,” he said adding that these cameras are meant to act as a deterrent to criminals and not to snoop on the residents.
The police have not insisted the stakeholders for live-monitoring facility for the new surveillance network. They must have the ability to store video footages for at least 30 days. If the stakeholders can afford to install live monitoring system, the visuals must be shared with the local police station.
According to sources in the police, the project, the works for which are being completed on a swift pace, is regarded as an aftereffect of the death of a Latvian tourist in the city. She was allegedly trapped, raped and murdered by two men within city limits. Even though the police were alerted on the day she went missing, the cops could not find her on time.
