Now, body-worn cameras for Gurgaon cops to catch anti-social elements on Mall Mile

After Gurgaon traffic police’s success in using body cameras, cops patrolling the mile-long Mall Mile that has 33 pubs and bars will get the devices to pin down violators.

Anti-social elements caught on infamous MG Road will no longer be able to be accuse police of high handedness or wrongfully catching them as the men in uniform have been given body-worn cameras to record what’s going on.

Last year, Gurgaon traffic police were given body cameras. Now, police will get the devices, imported from UK, to help nab anti-social elements. (Parveen Kumar/ HT File)

After traffic police successfully used the cameras, two city police stations were given a camera each to use last week while patrolling the mile-long stretch on the road, popularly known Mall Mile that has 33 pubs and bars.

“Two cameras have been given to Sector 29 police station and to DLF Phase-2 police station. MG Road is largely covered by these police stations and the patrolling teams will soon start using the devices to catch violators” said assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Mamta Kharab.

The stretch is notorious as a hub for criminals and predators after sunset. Rowdy scenes and skirmishes between policemen and drunkards are common at the busy commercial hub and after 11 pm.

Violators will be under the watch of cameras attached on policemen’s uniform, and the recordings will be used against unruly elements.

On June 3 night, two drunkards got into a brawl with the police on MG Road when they came out of a pub. The policemen asked them to behave, but the men started arguing and started shoving two policeman. More police force had to be called to handle the situation.

On August 27, September 4, and September 25, police arrested 50, 121, and 76 people respectively under ‘Operation Romeo Free’ drive on MG Road to check eve teasing.

Kharab said cameras given to traffic personnel were delivering good results, and violators behave properly with the cops. “We often monitor footage from the cameras and they are used regularly by traffic police at main junctions” she said.

Traffic police was given 15 cameras on November 6 last year for better functioning and monitoring of traffic related issues. The two-inch front-facing rotatable cameras with wide-view lens, imported from United Kingdom, are attached on the policemen’s uniform and capture video and audio.

A screen allows the user to playback videos to show the violators and it is not possible to delete or overwrite footage or distribute videos in the camera as the device is encrypted, said Kharab.

Weighing less than 150 grams, the cameras are equipped to record full HD video for up to 10 hours. Video and audio recordings have date and time stamp, tamper proof digital fingerprint and encryption facility.