5,000 CCTVs to keep an eye on you

Mumbai: After coming under sharp criticism for not having installed a dedicated CCTV network in the city to tackle terror, the Congress-led government is planning to set up five control rooms across the cities, which are to be monitored by a centralised control room at the Police Commissioner's office.

The government plans to set up CCTVs across the length and  breadth of the metropolis, for which an IT firm, Mumbai First, has been roped in for technical assistance.

According to sources, the government is planning to set up at least 5,000 CCTVs across the length and breadth of the metropolis, for which an IT firm, Mumbai First, has been roped in for technical assistance.

A representative from Mumbai First confirmed that the agency would play a crucial role in catalysing the installation process, saying, "Monitoring the footage is the responsibility of the police. Our job is to offer technical expertise to the cause."

Stirred into action in the wake of last Wednesday's terror attacks, two separate presentations were made by members of the state's security council before Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan yesterday, with regard to installation of an extensive CCTV network in the city.

The state's Home Minister Satej Patil told Mid-Day that the city's CCTV network is presently monitored by the traffic police branch, but would soon be transferred to the city police.

After the issue was discussed at a recent meeting, a consensus was reached to set up at least five control rooms, in addition to the one at the commissioner's office.

The rooms will be distributed across the city, one each under the additional commissioners in the city, in South, South Central, North, West, East and Central Mumbai respectively. To monitor these, there would be a central control room at the police commissioner's office, Patil said.

Patil added that the brand new state-of-the-art centralised control room will be located in a multi-storey building, which will be constructed at the city Police headquarters at Crawford Market.

Pending plans

Though an extensive surveillance system for the city had been planned right after the 26/11 terror strike, in course of meetings held by the state's security council, concrete manifestation of the plans never saw light of day. The present system is limited in nature, fit only to be used for regulating traffic by the traffic cops.

The Indian Merchants' Chamber had even submitted proposals for the installation of an extensive security camera network in the city, but the state reportedly never took the matter forward, claiming that they wanted a state-owned surveillance system at their disposal.

Borrowed footage

A Mantralaya officer divulged that in the absence of a state owned surveillance network, the city cops had to fall back on footage obtained from CCTVs owned by private parties with offices and shops in Zaveri Bazaar, primarily those owned by the Bombay Bullion Market.

Out of order

Even as the state plans for an all-pervasive CCTV network spanning the city, the present reality is far from desirable. In the existing network, nearly 30 per cent of the cameras are out of order.

The installed CCTVs are backdated and of poor quality, and the images obtained from them are grainy and blurred, making it almost impossible for cops to nab criminals based on the footage obtained.

A police officer requesting anonymity said, "Whenever a crime takes place, we request the traffic branch to provide us with footage from the scene of crime. Very often, they fail to comply with our requests, citing out-of-order surveillance cameras as the reason for their failure."

He added, "At many locations, CCTVs are installed on lamp posts. It is almost impossible to get clear footage from such a height. It is absolutely imperative that the cameras are maintained and serviced during monsoons, as water often condenses over them, blurring the images.

In footage obtained recently from CCTVs installed at Juhu, the images are of such poor quality that nothing can be seen.

In addition to the CCTV network that is used by the traffic department, there are those that are installed at railway stations, traffic junctions and malls.  These too malfunction frequently. All these should be upgraded."

86 police stations in the city are under complete surveillance, while in others, not even a single CCTV is installed.

The Other Side

"The cables to some of the cameras are torn or are stolen, causing them to malfunction. As soon as we receive intimation, we replace them," said Brijesh Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

"When we find our CCTVs are malfunctioning, we complain to the authorities. But they seldom respond, despite repeated reminders," said a police officer from the Shivaji Nagar police station.