Mumbai to undergo London like CCTV expansion

Taking a leaf out of London's mass video surveillance network, the state government is planning to launch a community-based policing model for CCTV based-surveillance by public and private establishments.

A collaborative framework will be laid down for authorities to receive video feed from entities like housing societies, public offices, shops, restaurants, malls and religious places. While improving the surveillance system in cities, this will also enhance the level of protection and deterrence for these institutions. The government is also looking at examining ways to establish last-mile connectivity to tap into the feeds of cameras positioned towards roads and public domains.

On Sunday, the Maharashtra government will launch its Rs 949 crore project which includes a network of 4,717 cameras at 1,510 locations in Mumbai. The Mumbai CCTV project floated after the 26/11 terror attacks for surveillance at sensitive spots and faster response due to real-time streaming, includes network connectivity to 102 public and private establishments. It also includes high-value targets like malls, hospitals, Railway stations, schools and hotels for the police to tap into their CCTV networks based on requirements and worst-case scenarios.

"Many entities like jewellery shops have installed CCTVs. We are looking at collecting video feeds from their cameras which cover roads and public places outside their premises. We will also request these establishments to set up cameras to cover vulnerable and sensitive areas. This will help the police and enhance the level of security for these entities as well," a source told dna. Care will be taken to ensure that the CCTV systems do not cause a loss of privacy and these establishments will be involved on a voluntary basis.

"We are planning to send instructions to public and private institutions including housing societies and even mandals with details like the type of cameras to be installed, their specifications and protocols to be followed. Contact details of those handling security will also be collected," said a state government source.

"We plan to eventually integrate these private camera systems with our network and this will ensure that no technical issues are created in the integration," the source added, pointing to how over 90% of the cameras used in London were not established by the government.

"We already take the feed from private entities, but this will make it more structured. Moreover, the police will get information about establishments where CCTVs are already installed, which will help in crime detection," the source stated.

Vijay Kumar Gautam, principal secretary, Information Technology (IT) said a committee under him would submit a report on the type of cameras to be used, standard specifications and last-mile connectivity to integrate the feed with the larger CCTV network. The committee will also suggest policy interventions to the state urban development department like if setting up CCTV cameras covering the public areas and domain could be integrated into the standard guidelines for building permissions from the security perspective.

-Though the Mumbai CCTV project initially planned to establish 6,020 remotely-controlled, high-definition quality IP cameras in the city, the number of cameras was brought down to 4,717 at 1,510 spots due to the decision to increase the number of poles at the sites.

-The high-level enquiry committee under former union home secretary Ram Pradhan, which probed the 26/11 attacks, had pointed out that unlike their counterparts in cities like New York, the Mumbai police had no ready access to CCTV cameras in private premises like hotels.