Closed-circuit TV cameras yet to switch back on

KARACHI: The closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras put up all over the city to monitor traffic violations and suspicious activity have been switched off. For the past four days, all that’s been going on in the streets is shrouded in oblivion as far as the traffic policemen in the monitoring room are concerned.

At least 200 CCTV cameras were installed at a cost of Rs40 million on important routes in different areas, including DHA, Clifton, Sharae Faisal, MA Jinnah Road, North Nazimabad and Guru Mandir. The step was taken to help regulate traffic, bring down the crime rate and help police in investigations. The cameras helped with 24-hour surveillance and the footage was monitored in the control room set up especially for this purpose at the Central Police Head Office on II Chundrigar Road. However, four days ago, the monitoring shut down suddenly. Officials in the control room are idling away their time as they wait for the recording to start again.

According to official sources, the Sindh IT department had outsourced the project to a private company. After the cameras were installed, the government told the company they would not sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and officially take over the project till all the glitches in the system were smoothed out. As a result, the actual power behind the monitoring system is still with that company. However, at least 75 officials of the traffic department were given special training so they could starting monitoring the CCTV footage.

The officials work in three eight-hour shifts, with 25 men present in the control room at one time.

Official sources said the monitoring stopped because of a dispute between the company and PTCL. They refused to divulge any more information but warned that it could be several days before the monitoring starts again.

The traffic policemen monitoring the footage were instructed to report accidents that occurred anywhere in the city to the relevant traffic section and police station. The monitoring also helped find out where the traffic jams were the worst and this information was circulated quickly. DIG Traffic Khurram Gulzar confirmed that the CCTV cameras had stopped recording. This is creating a lot of trouble, he admitted. He explained that the cameras also helped monitor the performance of the traffic policemen on the roads and keep a check on them.

Surveillance cameras help with investigations against criminals, in identifying bank robbers and bringing down traffic violations, said Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza on Wednesday. “The monitoring must resume immediately because it helps instill fear in criminals and brings down the rate of crime in the city,” he added.

He instructed Capital City Police Officer Karachi Fayyaz Leghari to carry out an inquiry into the matter. Leghari was told to get the zonal DIGs and DIG Traffic to submit a report and take all steps to resume monitoring.

Mirza also said that those banks that do not have CCTV cameras installed must get the cameras immediately. Town police officials have to contact banks in their areas and coordinate with them and ensure that cameras are installed and proper monitoring and recording takes place. Meanwhile, available footage from banks that have been robbed must be used to identify criminals and make arrests, added the minister.

with additional reporting by Mohammad Yaseen

Published  in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2010.