Baripada: After recording as many as 70 crimes within a span of nine months in Baripada town police limits itself, the state government has woken up to install surveillance cameras as a tool for detecting crimes, supporting investigations and subsequent prosecution.
With loot, robbery and snatching cases on a rise in Mayurbhanj district, the district police are relying on surveillance cameras. The Home Department, with the support of several agencies, has been making efforts to bring the entire city under CCTV surveillance.
In the first phase, CCTV surveillance system will be installed at Krushna Chandra area, Main market, Traffic Chowk, Stadium square, Madhuban chowk, Murgabadi chowk, Darogadahi chowk, Takatpur chowk, Palabani Chowk and near district collector office. The footages will be monitored by a special cell. This would help the police to keep a tab on the movement of criminals, police said.
That said, many in the town here have questioned the move. Without adequate policing CCTVs won’t be able to deter the criminals, they argue.
According to the experts, CCTVs are not a reliable method to prevent crimes. Meanwhile, miscreants from the neighboring states such as West Bengal and Jharkhand are spreading crime leading to panic among the locals.
The CCTV installed at Baripada police station is lying non-functional for last three years but no steps have been taken to fix it. When contacted, IIC of Baripada town police station Ashok Kumar Nayak said there are specific teams formed to track the movement of criminals. In fact, installation and maintenance of CCTV cameras are their duty, he argued.
PNN