The Kozhikode city police have stepped up their surveillance camera network for real-time monitoring of vehicles for speedy enforcement.
The control room squad can now closely monitor suspicious vehicles or activities with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. According to officials, tracking of vehicles involved in hit-and-run cases, kidnapping, smuggling, drug trafficking, thefts, and other criminal activities can easily be done using the new surveillance system. Digital evidence from the cameras will be valid proof during trials in courts, they said.
They pointed out that the utilisation of human resources for on-road enforcement could be minimised with the introduction of the system. For now, all major entries and exits under the city police limits are under camera surveillance. It can be further improved with the linking of local surveillance cameras to the control room.
Kozhikode is the first city in Kerala to be brought under such a wide camera network using ANPR system. The modernised control room in the city has special facilities and squads to monitor multiple cameras and give instant reports to the authorities for prompt action. Similar camera-based surveillance is under consideration in Kannur and Malappuram districts.
Meanwhile, independent monitoring systems for various local police stations are also being considered. The Kunnamangalam police station has already opened its own hi-tech control room with a wide surveillance camera network. Accordingly, Kunnamangalam town is fully covered by the network. An official attached to the station said the facility was introduced in the wake of recurring thefts and anti-social activities. “All cameras have high zooming capacity and ANPR features. The project was completed at a cost of ₹64 lakh,” he added.
According to police sources, the possibility of linking surveillance cameras in residential areas with the control room is also under their active consideration. Though there was a proposal to fast-track the process, a few residents and traders opposed it citing privacy issues.
