Ujjain : The city police installed CCTV cameras at all seven city police stations. Five cameras are installed at the police stations at different places. Police said that, the CCTV cameras are installed at the entry of each police station, the investigation room, head constable’s room, and lockup.
The installation of CCTV cameras at police station was a long pending demand and even courts have made it mandatory to install CCTV cameras at police station in many states. Office of station in-charge will be the monitoring room for the cameras. However the cameras do not have web connectivity at present so that the senior officers could monitor all of them at one place. SP Manohar Verma, who initiated the work, said that installation of CCTV in police stations would help improve transparency and efficiency adding that TI’s have been put in-charge of monitoring CCTV coverage and take immediate action in case of trouble. It will also record the footage of activities of persons called for inquiry and made outside police stations across the city. Soon this facility will be extended to all police stations in the district.
However, a few police officers raised concerns of privacy arguing no one likes to be under constant surveillance. The idea of being under watch of CCTV camera is uncomfortable. “We are also human beings and police stations are our workplace…we may have casual chats with our colleagues or share a light moments during our work…we will anyone feel comfortable if their movements are being constantly recorded in a camera, questioned a police inspector.
