Cameras to monitor police stations

VIVEK CHHETRI Darjeeling, April 29: Darjeeling police have decided to install three closed-circuit TV cameras in each of the 14 police stations under them by next month to help senior officers monitor work round the clock through cellphones or any other device with Internet. The system of keeping tabs on police stations by senior officers when they are on the move is the first of its kind in the state. At a time when the GNLF has decided to increase its political activities in the hills, raising possibilities of political skirmishes, the new system is expected to come in handy in effectively controlling law and order in the region. “We have decided to install the system in all 14 police stations (in the district) so that senior officers can monitor all activities even when they are on the move. Cameras will also be installed outside the police stations,” said Kunal Aggarwal, the superintendent of police, Darjeeling. “We can also video chat not only with the police officers but also the public,” Aggarwal said. Two CCTVs would be installed inside each police station, one would be set up outside. Rakesh Sharma, CEO, Digitech, a Siliguri-based computer firm which is installing the CCTVs, has said the system is likely to be operational by the end of the week. “Three CCTVs will be installed in each police station, two inside and one outside. These are all-weather cameras with night visions,” he said. The videos captured by the CCTVs will be connected to a digital video recorder (DVR) that will support Internet connections. “Every DVR will have its own Internet protocol (IP) address. One can type in the IP address of a particular police station and access the videos from any medium like cellphones, tabs, laptops and desktops that have Internet connections,” said Sharma. Apart from the IP address, the network administrator will have a password that would be made available to the district police chief. Once the officer keys in the IP address assigned to a police station and the password that is recognised by the administrator, he can access the information from the DVRs. The password can be changed by the administrator at any point of time and the SP would give the password to the officers he wants to. Recordings of 30 days can be stored in the DVRs. The project cost has been estimated at Rs 7 lakh. “Once we finish installing the system, we will train the police personnel for a day or two to familiarise them with the technology,” Sharma said. Additional director-general of police (law and order), Banibrata Basu, said the initiative was first of its kind in the state. “There are a number of police stations in the state where CCTVs are installed. But keeping surveillance on police stations by a superior when he or she is on the move is the first of its kind. It will help us investigate allegations like policemen not registering complaints or staying away from duty,” he said from Calcutta.