In the light of increasing attacks on law enforcement personnel of Mumbai Police, especially the traffic policemen, and in a rigorous bid to bring down the number of offences, Mumbai traffic police is all set to receive 2,300 extra sets of body cams, as an extension to the successful trial run conducted with a mere 100 of such body cams. This move was deemed necessary after traffic police were assaulted for simply doing their jobs and these body cams will prove as an evidence, at a time when a policeman is assaulted or accused of corruption.
The proposal of body cameras was recently passed by the state government, said police, and the cameras would be light-weight, virtually invisible and appear to be part of the police uniform, grabbing high-quality images or record videos under all light conditions. These body cameras or body-cams will have Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth capabilities to quickly transmit data of various incidents to the Mumbai Police control room. The body cams are expected to come into force in the next two months.
The pilot project of body cams was started on an experimental basis in 2018, but amid a few technical glitches, it was discontinued. However, after rectification, the body cams turned out to be of great help, as it served as evidence in case of an altercation. Moreover, these body cams have an infrared night vision, to check for overloaded vehicles and nakabandis at night, said Madhukar Pandey, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic).
The idea of body cams on traffic police personnel took shape after a traffic police head constable Vilas Shinde was brutally attacked by a juvenile and his brother in 2016 after the accused were asked to show their vehicle documents and driving license near Bandra. Instead of showing the papers, the duo thrashed the 51-year old, who later succumbed to his injuries, creating a furore among traffic police personnel across the city. Mumbai Traffic Police then undertook a survey, which helped them identify 130 vulnerable spots in the city, where on-duty officers are most unsafe.
Some of the roads include Yari Road in Andheri (W), Juhu Chowpatty Road, nakabandis along the Western Express Highway (WEH) and key areas like the Bandra end of the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL).
Former deputy general of police (DGP) of Maharashtra, Praveen Dixit said, apart from body cameras, the police personnel should be provided with small weapons like pistols and revolvers. “A person behind the wheel should be intelligent enough to abide by the traffic rules, inculcating a habit of doing it without force. Moreover, if there is any violation, the CCTV camera network should be able to catch it on time and issue an e-challan. However, then the rules should be made stringent and e-challan fines should be expeditiously recovered by linking their bank account to their licenses,” said DGP Dixit.
Some personalities have basic disregard for authority, opined a psychiatrist, Dr Sagar Mundada. “They feel any act of theirs is justified without realising the social scenario. Secondly, some people who have impulse control issues are manipulated into rioting by influencing their fragile minds, moreover people who abuse substances have poor self control and inability to understand consequences of their actions,” added Dr Mundada.
