2.5 lakh CCTV cameras watching, but criminals find a way out in Chennai

The Chennai police may boast of installing 2.5 lakh CCTV cameras across the city with a target to add 1 lakh more, but with the new cameras, is surveillance getting smarter?

In the cat and mouse game, criminals seem to be winning. Many have managed to give police the slip by operating in the ‘grey’ areas, patches which are not covered by nearby CCTV cameras due to limitations of the camera’s field of view.


Three recent robberies have brought to light the modus operandi of criminals who target lonely pedestrians despite the presence of CCTV cameras (see graphic). In incidents reported from IDM bus stop on College Road, Blackers Road in Otteri and Mullai Nagar bus depot in Vyasarpadi, police did not find any CCTV footage from the spot despite the presence of CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood.

A robber, who was arrested by the Anna Nagar police and now out of jail, told TOI that he had devised ways to avoid CCTV cameras. He had learned many tricks from ‘experts’ when he was in Puzhal prison. “We use caps to cover our faces to avoid being captured in the CCTV footage and cover our heads with helmets. We keep a watch on the neighbourhood by cycling down the streets and roads looking out for the spots where CCTV cameras are installed. We use bicycles as policemen target those on bikes,” he said.

The robber said one of his fellow inmates in the prison told him that the cameras installed in the city can capture footage up to 500m. “If we ride above 60kmph, the registration number of the bike cannot be caught by the cameras,” he said.


The city police have chosen low-cost cameras instead of ultra HD devices which capture the registration number of a vehicle even if it travels at more than 100kmph. However, the cheaper models have enabled the department to install 2.5 lakh cameras and spread the net far and wide. “We have arrested 25 robbery suspects and 13 burglars since January based on footage from these cameras. Cameras also act as deterrents, especially on arterial roads,” said a police officer.

That said, many in the department said maintenance was an issue. With the Lok Sabha elections due, many officers have been shunted out to other areas.

“I focused on CCTV camera installation in my previous jurisdiction. But the incumbent police inspectors are not taking care of it. Due to shortage of hands, visits of the patrol party to check the condition and status of the CCTV local control rooms and recordings have become irregular,” a police inspector said.