Ever since the Villapuram Pudhu Nagar Residents’ Association began to install closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, there has been a noticeable drop in major crimes in the area.
Even three petty crimes reported so far were caught on camera and helped the police in their investigation, said its president S.K.S. Kadar Hussain. Members of the association formally handed over a CCTV network of 60 cameras installed in the area to the city police at a function organised on Sunday. Commissioner of Police Sanjay Mathur initiated the monitoring operations. The association spent around Rs. 20 lakh raised through voluntary donations from the residents on the system. Two abandoned buildings were renovated and made a police outpost, Mr. Hussain said.
“Chain snatching, house break-ins and assaults were becoming an everyday occurrence in the area and we were struggling against anti-social elements in an area which was once known to be peaceful and calm,” a resident said. Women said they feared to venture out after the dark.
The cameras have been installed in a six-km radius in the Villapuram housing board area to cover vantage points in three parallel streets.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Mathur appreciated the efforts of the residents to give a fillip to surveillance in the area. “Since Villapuram has come under the city limits, we have initiated two-wheeler and four-wheeler patrolling on a regular basis to keep incidences of crime under check,” he said.
The Commissioner also gave some safety tips to the residents. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Samanth Rohan Rajendra and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) M. Rajarajan were present.
