The 30th National Road Safety Week that was conducted last week saw more impetus given to it in the neighbourhood, for the Commissioner of Police A K Viswanathan inaugurated the completed CCTV grid recently.
Ambattur Industrial Estate Inspector Vijayaraghavan, speaking to News Today said, “CCTVs have been installed in prime areas and main interior roads. They are placed 50 metres apart in arterial stretches like CTH Road. In total, in the Industrial Estate area alone, more than 1180 surveillance cameras have been installed.”
As many as 3,715 cameras found their place in the neighbourhood for better surveillance. Asked if the public have cooperated with them in their endeavour, the officer said they have. “We approached residents welfare associations (RWAs), many apartments and every company in the area to set up cameras on their premises. Companies usually have cameras but never facing outside. Upon our request, they have at least two cameras facing the road now.”
As far as connectivity wise, Ambattur is still behind, said Vijayaraghavan. “Internet penetration in the locality is a bit on the lower side. We have placed the digital video recorder (DVR) in the nearby buildings wherever the cameras are installed. Because we do not have proper connectivity, we are yet to set up a control room in our station premises. But we will get it soon.”
Without the control room however, the policemen and women have to go to the place to obtain footage at present. However, the Inspector was assured that DVRs are damage-proof.
“We recently cracked a heist that saw Rs 40 lakh worth imported sewing machines vanish in the IE using CCTV footage,” said Vijayaraghavan and added that industrial thefts are the most recurring crime in the locality.
Asked about the initiative, Javed, a resident of Ambattur said, “It is progressing very well. Cops can nab wrongdoers comparatively easily with the help of technology. However, they must remember that a thief will never sleep. So, it is possible that they will come up with ways to tap into the CCTV feed, let alone do other things. All the effort put into placing the cameras should not go waste. So, cops need to ensure that their network is secure and that it cannot be tapped easily. I am sure they will come up with something.”