CCTVs have been installed in 547 of 1,089 of police stations across the state, according to a report submitted by the district-level committees to the Director General of Police (DGP) office. The committees were formed to ensure the implementation of the project – the installation of closed-circuit camera television (CCTV) systems inside all police stations in the state.
“Of 1,089 police stations in the state, 547 police stations have CCTV cameras installed. The district-level committees which were set up to ensure the implementation of the installation of the CCTV project within the police stations have submitted their report to the DGP office in this regard,” said an officer from the DGP office.
After the alleged custodial death of Leonard Valdaris’s son Agnelo at Wadala railway police station in 2014, the high court had ordered the state government to ensure that CCTV cameras were installed in all rooms of police stations, all corridors and lock-up rooms, in order to prevent custodial deaths inside police stations.
A High-Power Committee of the state government had recommended the setting up of CCTV systems after the HC order. In November 2019, the state government had decided to instal CCTVs in all police stations in the state, increasing the budget to Rs 110 crore from Rs 72.60 crore for the project.
To prevent police lock-up deaths, the state government had initially decided to install CCTV cameras in 25 police stations in Mumbai.
Initially, the State Information and Technology Corporation was tasked with the responsibility of getting the CCTV project implemented; later, the DGP office was asked to do the implementation. IT was then that the district-level committees were formed for the purpose.
When asked why it was taking so long to get CCTVs installed at police stations, another officer said, “Recently, the state government has also approved the release of funds to the two companies that had successfully installed CCTV cameras in 50 per cent police stations across the state. There are several aspects involved, like issuing tenders to companies to get CCTVs installed, getting funds sanctioned from the government for the same etc. We are hopeful of getting the remaining police stations under CCTV cover as well, at the earliest.”
