Cops to wear body cameras in containment zones

The Delhi Police is equipping personnel deployed in containment zones with body cameras to record violations and misbehaviour with police and healthcare workers.

The Delhi Police is equipping personnel deployed in containment zones with body cameras to record violations and misbehaviour with police and healthcare workers.

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As the new guidelines, issued by the Central government on Wednesday on the extended lockdown, has specified “spitting in public” a punishable offence, the use of body-worn cameras will also help the police identify and prosecute offenders, deputy commissioner of police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said.

“Body cameras will have a dual benefit. Firstly, it would dissuade people from unnecessarily arguing with police or staffers of agencies deployed in containment zones for enforcement and screening. Secondly, it will help in maintaining surveillance on people in home-quarantine and residents who defy lockdown rules by not wearing masks or stepping out of homes without any purpose,” Thakur said.

Delhi’s South and South East districts are among the first to have started equipping their police personnel with body-worn cameras in 16 neighbourhoods, including Nizamuddin, Zakir Nagar, Deoli and Sangam Vihar, where containment zones have been identified.

In South district, 15 cameras have been made available while in South East, which has 13 such red zones, 20 body-worn cameras are being used. The other districts have also been asked to provide such cameras to personnel.

Personnel in containment zones will wear the camera on their chest, on top of the protective equipment (PPE) kit, to record all the activities happening in front of them, deputy commissioner of police (South East) RP Meena said.

“Each camera has the capacity to record audio and video for 10-12 hours. As the government has decided to punish those found spitting in public, the cameras would help us identify people involved in the unhygienic act,” a senior police officer, who is not authorised to speak with the media, said.

The city police personnel wear body cameras while regulating vehicular movement, and while manning protests or mass gatherings.

According to the officer, most incidents of misbehaviour and altercation with police, health and sanitation staff occur over the use of masks, social distancing, screening of residents or sanitisation of their houses and neighbourhoods.

Thakur said that on Wednesday, a Kotla Mubarakpur resident had a scuffle with the police, when he was confronted for not wearing a mask. Apart from the sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease danger­ous to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the man was also booked for obstruction and use of criminal force.

“Body-worn cameras may help curb such violent behaviour as the footage can be used as evidence to prove their offences in the court of law,” said Thakur.

According to the police data, 180-200 cases pertaining to lockdown violations are registered every day in Delhi. The violators are arrested and bailed, as per provisions under the Epidemic Diseases Act and sections 188 269, 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), and 271 (disobedience of quarantine rule) of the IPC. If convicted, an offender can be sentenced to a maximum imprisonment of two years, or be fined, or face both.