Every major street and junction of the Anna Nagar police district, including Villivakkam and Thirumangalam ranges, is now under 100 per cent CCTV surveillance, said City Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan who announced the completion of the ‘Third Eye’ project in these localities.
At a function held at Anna Nagar Tower Park on Tuesday, Commissioner A K Viswanathan thanked residents and resident associations, traders and private agencies who helped the Police department finish the task by installing cameras at their premises and at various common points throughout the locality.
Stating that the installation of the cameras was one of the best public-private partnership models in the country, Viswanathan said, “The third eye project has helped us solve crimes quicker. Instead of questioning multiple suspects and leads in connection with a crime, we can narrow down on the culprit with the help of cameras.”
“In Anna Nagar district, important cases, including busting of a Delhi-based gang, have been solved with the help of CCTV cameras,” he added.
Now, every 50 metres of the Anna Nagar police district, including Villivakkam and Thirumangalam ranges, is now under surveillance with the help of 10,164 CCTV cameras installed in a span of one year at a cost of Rs 69.37 crore.
Data from the Police say that Anna Nagar range, including Aminjikarai and Arumbakkam, has 3,734 cameras, the Thirumangalam range, including Nolambur and JJ Nagar, has 3,925 and Villivakkam range, including Kolathur and Rajamangalam, has 2,505 cameras, apart from the 4,525 cameras under Koyambedu and CMBT police station limits, for a total of 14,689 cameras.
The thousands of cameras are not just used for controlling crime but are also used for effective crowd control, said the Commissioner. He said, “They are very helpful to ascertain the truth in the event of a crime, accident or any mishaps.The number of crimes in many areas have come down drastically after installing CCTV cameras. It provides evidence for criminal and civil action in courts. It helps in maintaining law and order and also helps improve traffic discipline.”
Anna Nagar Deputy Commissioner Dr M Sudhakar, Additional Commissioner of Police-North R Dhinakaran, West Chennai Joint Commissioner B Vijayakumari participated in the event along with respective police personnel from Anna Nagar, Thirumangalam and Villivakam range and residents from the area.