In 8 police stations, Big Brother is not just watching, but also listening

The area, designated zone IX for policing purposes, is among the busiest zones in Mumbai and, as it covers the western suburbs, is also home to a mixed population, ranging from celebrities to slum dwellers. The Zone has eight police stations—Bandra, Khar, Santacruz, Juhu, DN Nagar, Amboli, Oshiwara and Versova

Mumbai: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Mumbai, closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras with microphones have been installed in eight police stations in the Bandra-Andheri belt to keep a close watch on the behaviour of the station house officers.

In 8 police stations, Big Brother is not just watching, but also listening

The area, designated zone IX for policing purposes, is among the busiest zones in Mumbai and, as it covers the western suburbs, is also home to a mixed population, ranging from celebrities to slum dwellers. The Zone has eight police stations—Bandra, Khar, Santacruz, Juhu, DN Nagar, Amboli, Oshiwara and Versova.

Senior police officers said that the initiative was started in July this year after being sanctioned by Mumbai police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar.

“There were a lot of complaints about station house officers not attending to complaints and behaving rudely with the citizens. One of our priorities has always been to create an atmosphere where the common man feels confident enough to approach the police in times of need, and this rising trend was detrimental to that objective,” said a senior police officer.

The station house is the front desk of any police station, where incoming complaints are received and processed. An officer of police sub inspector rank or above is assigned the duty of the station house officer during every shift and is authorised to register first information reports (FIRs) based on complaints.

Accordingly, eight cameras with microphones were procured from a private security solution provider and installed in each station house at a vantage point, which allowed the viewer to observe as well as listen to the goings-on. They were connected to the office of the zonal deputy commissioner of police (DCP), where the live feed is now transmitted and recorded. The feed from each police station is displayed on a separate inset on the screen and the recorded feed is viewed regularly.

The officials said that as a result, the behaviour of station house officers has changed drastically and over the last three months a sharp drop has been observed in the number of complaints against policemen and the waiting time for citizens visiting police stations with their grievances. Further, records of all incoming complaints are maintained better, as the station house officers know that there is a secondary system to keep track of the procedure and fudging of records will neither be possible nor tolerated.

When contacted, Manjunath Singe, DCP, Zone IX, confirmed that the initiative has led to noticeable results. “The number of complaints regarding misbehaviour or apathy towards citizens’ complaints by the police station personnel have decreased by almost 60%, adding to the quality of our policing,” Singe said.

The senior officers added that the results of the move are being monitored so that the possibility of implementing it across the city can be explored in the months to come.

“We need to let the practice stay in place for at least six months before we can properly quantify its results and take a decision. However, as of now, the initiative is showing positive results,” a senior officer added.