India - Big Brother in Delhi

Delhi Police plan to install a centralised, round-the-clock electronic video surveillance system to try and prevent terror strikes in the capital

NEW DELHI; The next time you go to a crowded market place, or plan to jump a traffic light or visit any high-profile tourist spot in Delhi, beware, for Big Brother will be watching your every move.

In a first-of-its-kind effort, the Delhi Police are planning to install a centralised and round-the-clock electronic video surveillance system in the national capital. They hope to put the integrated city surveillance system in place by the end of this year.

The Delhi Police have already floated a global tender, to invite expressions of interest from companies and consortiums that are well established in the area of security surveillance systems. The bids have to be submitted by September 4.

This project assumes significance in the wake of the recent terror strikes in various Indian cities. And with Delhi being on a red alert against terror threats virtually all through the year, the cops are pinning their hopes on this system, which will “enable live monitoring of markets and any vulnerable terror targets in the city to prevent crime.”
Currently, Delhi has CCTV cameras installed only at some busy markets like Sadar Bazar, Ajmal Khan Road, Karol Bagh, Pahar Ganj, Chandni Chowk and Khan Market. However, these are standalone systems, which can be monitored only in the offices of the area’s station house officer, the assistant commissioner and deputy commissioner. Also, some of these existing systems have ceased to function.

The new system, on the other hand, seeks to install an integrated central command centre which would function 24X7 and could be accessed from all police stations, sub-division central monitoring control room, offices of the area’s deputy commissioners and the central control room of the police headquarters.

In addition, each system’s recordings would be available with the local police station for a minimum period of 30 days. The recordings will also be available at the central control room for a minimum period of seven days. This would enable the police to rewind tapes and also, at the same time, keep a tab on the happenings of the previous days.

The tender states that the system must have a combination of PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) and fixed cameras with day and night vision, which can function without any technological handicaps in Indian working conditions.

The cops believe that having such a security surveillance system would also help the police during the Commonwealth Games in 2010 when the national capital is expected to be flooded with thousands of tourists from across the globe.

In addition to the new system, the authorities are also looking at integrating all existing systems for better coordination and response. The tender states that bidders must “suggest a suitable system of interface between the proposed CCTV system and the existing city video surveillance system and intelligent traffic management system.”

A senior police official said, “The proposed system would also help keep a tab on the alertness of police personnel apart from immediately detecting an incident. The movement of vehicles and common public would also be recorded for security purposes.”