Police plan to install more CCTV cameras in city

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 19

To keep a vigil on miscreants’ activities, the police have started installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at various locations in the city.

The police have installed hi-tech CCTV cameras with face recogniser, auto number plate detector at three main (entry and exit) points of the city which are Kanhiya Chowk, Bibiwala Chowk and ITI Chowk.

The police had even installed a CCTV camera at Sadhbhavna Chowk, but due to some technical problem, the cameras have been shut for a while as it was affecting the advertisement hoarding given on rent by the MCB.

Under the project, the police had planned to install a total of 128 cameras at 44 locations in the city. The CCTV cameras will be installed at those locations which are very important from the strategic point of view. These locations need utmost attention for monitoring traffic from the control room by linking it with broadband lease line with its head office at the Police Lines.

The footage of the CCTV cameras will be monitored by a team at the Police Lines. It has directed the nearest police stations, where these CCTV cameras are being installed, to reach the spot in case of any clash, traffic jam, protest, blockage or any untoward incident spotted in the CCTV.

These cameras have been installed to curb the crime rate and traffic violations, besides putting vital locations under 24-hour surveillance.

For the maintenance of these CCTV cameras, the police have decided to depute a separate wing to look after the e-surveillance project.

Trained staff will manage the entire project. They will also coordinate with the CIA staff, besides sharing information received through surveillance with them.

With the help of these CCTV cameras, the police will soon start sending e-challans to traffic rule violators.

The CCTV cameras in the city will be connected to the Police Control Room through the optical fibre cable. Pictures of proclaimed offenders, gangsters or other criminals will be fed into the computer system in the control room and whenever these criminals will pass by these cameras, the control room will automatically alert PCR vans in the city. The cameras will also help in challaning traffic violators. The police, after getting photographs of the violators, will send challans to their houses.

SSP Dr Nanak Singh said, “Hitech CCTV cameras have been installed at three main chowks in the city. Under the project, 128 CCTV cameras at 44 locations would be installed in the city.” Further, he said the hi-tech cameras would keep a tab on traffic violators and stolen vehicles plying in the city.