Hi-res, night-vision cams needed to prevent crimes, say police

Mysuru: Lack of high-resolution surveillance cameras at all entry and exit points of the city and district and even within the city is allowing wrongdoers get away.
A gang of robbers recently robbed a techie of cash and valuables after picking him up from the KSRTC sub urban bus stand. He was taken to different places of Mysuru, including two ATMs, to withdraw Rs 43,000 cash and then pushed out of the car near KR Hospital in the city centre. Though police recovered footage at eight different locations, including the Mysuru-Bengaluru Road and Outer Ring Road junction, they couldn’t trace the vehicle number because of its poor resolution and they aren’t night vision cameras. The incident happened between 5am and 6.15am in January.
A vendor couple from Siddalingapura was picked up by the same gang and robbed of Rs 3,000 cash at knife-point. The car had entered Mysuru from Bengaluru but police couldn’t zero in on the car number. All they could get was the make of the car.
An officer admitted that poor quality cameras aren’t helping cops detect crimes, except to book traffic violations.
Even at the district borders, high-resolution, night-vision cameras are essential to monitor movement of vehicles. Recently, two trucks with tonnes of medical waste from Kerala entered Mysuru from Kerala after passing through forests but nowhere could they be stopped and checked. The vehicle entered the district and city during the wee hours.
Surveillance cameras are essential to keep an eye on anti-social elements round the clock. Though police claim cameras are instralled, these aren’t helping anyway at night.
Robbers have often entered city on bikes, commit crimes and then fled through checkposts. People involved in illegal sand transportation too are taking advantage of lack of good cameras.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime & traffic) BT Kavitha told STOI that city cops have installed cameras at 52 junctions but these are used for traffic monitoring. “We don’t have cameras exclusively for crime prevention,” she said. When MA Saleem was police commissioner, at five or six locations high-resolution cameras were put up along with focus light so that clear images from all entry points to Mysuru city are available. I’ll check if they’re they’re still in use,” she added.
Border checkposts to have high-resolution cameras
Superintendent of Police, Mysuru, CB Ryshyanth said district police have proposed installing night-vision high –resolution cameras at all three checkposts. Cameras will definitely help cops keep tabs on movement of vehicle and detect crimes like road thefts, dacoities and house break-ins.
Of three cameras on the border, one is exclusively to monitor illegal sand transportation at T Narasipura and other two in Nanjangud that connects to Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A road safety committee has sought high resolution cameras as they’re essential, he said.