CCTV plan to monitor Mumbai finally ready

Six years after the 26/11 siege, the Mumbai police have finally drawn up a detailed plan to monitor the city using closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

Six years after the 26/11 siege, the Mumbai police have finally drawn up a detailed plan to monitor the city using closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

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The blueprint, which has been accessed by HT, details how the police plan to integrate a web of new and old CCTV cameras across the metropolis, and monitor the footage from fixed and mobile platforms. Before the plan was drafted, teams visited London to study the CCTV network set up by the London Metropolitan Police after the subway bombings in 2005.

As part of the plan, 6,020 CCTV cameras will be integrated with 225 existing ones that belong to the Mumbai traffic police, as well as ones set up by private entities such as housing societies, shops, hotels and restaurants. This complex network will primarily be monitored at two command centres.

The first is a 1,500 sq ft area planned at the police commissioner’s office at Crawford market. This will serve as the main command centre, capable of monitoring at least 600 CCTV cameras.

A second command centre, about 1,000 sq ft, has been planned at Kalina, and will have the capacity to monitor more than 300 CCTV cameras.

The larger aim of the plan is to use this network to connect all police stations across the city, and enable effective monitoring of local areas.