4,100 cameras at 1,650 junctions in Bengaluru - will beefed up surveillance curb crimes?

If a bike-borne thief snatches your gold chain or cell phone while you are crossing the street, go to the closest Safety Island, a blue box that is directly connected to the police control room, and hit the red button.

As the police answer, provide with the basic details such as the name of the bike or the colour of the miscreant's jacket. Based on the description, video from the nearest CCTV cameras will be sourced and the suspect's movement shared with police on the ground.

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The police on Saturday said that this is how the surveillance cameras installed under the Bengaluru Safe City project works, while giving a hands-on demonstration of the surveillance and tracking technology.

Last week, the project was formally launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. In the first phase, as many as  4,100 cameras were fitted across 1,650 junctions in the city. City police commissioner CH Pratap Reddy said more than 3,000 cameras will be fitted in the near future when the project reaches phases II and III.

The city police commissioner also said that the project, which is scheduled to be completed by August this year, will have 800 PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras and 400 high-resolution cameras. "As many as 560 body-worn cameras have been distributed among the enforcing officers. To facilitate the exchange of information, a mobile command and control vehicle (bus) has been launched. We have eight drone cameras, dedicated to eight divisions of the city. The mobile command and control centre vehicle will also have a drone so it can be operated from the spot, wherever the bus reaches," he explained.

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"Most of the vital and busy junctions are covered with cameras now. Quick decisions on allowing, diverting, or regulating vehicular movement on busy roads can be taken quickly according to the needs," he added.

Reacting to a question related to Safety Islands, from where the public can call the police control room without a phone, Reddy said, "We will soon install more of them. Since they are directly connected to the command centre (including cameras), they will help in addressing the issues quickly."