Indore (Madhya Pradesh): At least 25 per cent of all CCTV cameras in the city are not functioning in the city for one or the other reason at any given point in time, and this has a direct impact on police investigation and the security of the common people.
Assistant commissioner of police, Subhash Singh, said that there are 608 CCTV cameras installed across 125 locations in the city and on average around 150 of them are not functioning for one reason or the other.
Police Investigation Hampered
A disturbing incident occurred on June 13, where miscreants in a car allegedly hurled empty liquor bottles inside a mosque located on AB Road Indore.
The incident was captured on CCTV, but the footage was not clear enough to identify the culprits or their vehicle's licence plate. In an attempt to apprehend the individuals involved, the police extensively reviewed the CCTV footage of cameras from the Geeta Bhawan Square area to Sathya Sai Square.
However, the majority of CCTVs were found to be non-functional, further hindering the identification process. The accused of the crime are yet to be apprehended.
People's Security At Stake
Sales state head of a well-known company, Neti Upadhyay, shared an incident which highlights how people’s security is affected due to malfunctioning cameras.
He said that recently his brother was hit by a speeding car that was taking a U-turn near the Press Complex area. After hitting his brother, the car sped away.
With police help, Neti attempted to gather evidence from the nearby cameras positioned near the Choti Khajrani Mosque and Press Complex. Unfortunately, several cameras were found to be non-functional, and those that were operational failed to capture the car's number plate.
He lamented that if these cameras had been functioning, he might have been able to identify the driver responsible for the incident.
What Police Say
ACP Subhash Singh acknowledged the issue and said that currently there are no police cameras in the Press Complex area. However, official reports indicate the presence of five cameras near the Choti Khajrani Mosque belonging to private people.
ACP Singh said that they monitor which cameras are not working and repair them promptly. He said that some cameras were temporarily removed due to ongoing Metro construction, but they will be put back in place once the Metro work gets completed.
ACP said there are plans to set up CCTV cameras at 50 additional locations under the Smart City project which will improve monitoring by the police.
Lawyer's Point OF View
Senior advocate Nimesh Pathak expressed serious concern over the non-functioning of a significant number of CCTVs installed by the government for public security.
He suggests that if 25% of the CCTVs are not working daily, the police should take legal action against the company responsible for poor service or thoroughly investigate why all the CCTVs are not operational simultaneously.
Pathak emphasises that occasional malfunctions can be overlooked, but when an average of 150 CCTVs are consistently non-functional, it becomes a matter of great concern.
With inputs from Sheetal Kumari
