To prevent attacks, police set to video record nakabandis

MUMBAI: The next time you pick a fight with a policeman for stopping your car at a nakabandi, beware – you may be on camera. Rattled by the recent spate of attacks on cops, the Mumbai police plan to use hand-held cameras and concealed body cameras to film motorists at road blocks.

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A source in the police said this will help identify offenders and provide evidence for their prosecution. The source said police commissioner Dattatreya Padsalgikar last week ordered all 93 police stations in the city to start using video cameras at nakabandis. Every police station has at least one video camera for crime scene investigations. Following the commissioner’s order, many have started using these to videograph security checks too. “Many more plans are in the pipeline,” said Padsalgikar.

In the next phase of the scheme, policemen will be given concealed body cameras. A source said each police station will get five to 10 such cameras, depending on size of its jurisdiction. A couple of cameras will be fitted to patrolling vehicles and one each will be given to the two woman beat marshals who respond to distress calls from women, children and senior citizens and patrol the peripheries of schools and colleges. The rest will be given constables and officers deployed at nakabandis.

A source said the police plan to acquire two types of body cameras, which are used by security forces around the world. One, in the shape of a button, starts recording when clicked twice, while the other can be attached to a cap or collar using a mount. As these cameras have little storage space, footage will have to be uploaded daily, the source added.

“The footage will put to use when needed, be it in proving a case against an offender or countering the frivolous allegations we often face while on duty,” the source said.

A senior inspector at a police station in the western suburbs, who did not wish to be named, said drunk and rogue motorists often become aggressive when stopped. “First, they will get into an argument with the police to rid themselves of the impending penalty. Then, they will drop names and flaunt their connections. If the policemen does not budge and takes action against the offender, he or she will then either attack the police or make allegations on social media,” the officer said.

He added, “Such instances can be prevented with the use of video cameras. It will not only instil fear in the minds of potential lawbreakers but also help secure convictions in court. It will also curb corruption among the police.”