Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam has become the city with the highest number of CCTV cameras – a record 13,000 installed in the past 10 months.
Recent surveillance networks, including government and private cameras, have been systematically expanded. From 2019 to June 30, 2024, the city has 57,526 private CCTV cameras. Since July 1, 2024, 12,265 private cameras have been installed.
The government surveillance network currently consists of 1,394 cameras. Last year, there were 1,059 functional cameras with 561 non-surgical units. This year, about 468 cameras have been repaired. Currently, 93 government CCTV cameras are still non-functional.
There are still some maintenance issues, especially at the junction of popular beach roads and some traffic signal, where several cameras are still in damaged mode or are covered with vegetation.
City Police Commissioner Sankhabrata Bagchi acknowledged these issues. “Repairs are currently underway. With such a huge network, we cannot focus criticism on one or two non-functional units throughout the city. We have made significant progress in our surveillance capabilities.”
The Commissioners highlighted many cases, and CCTV footage proved to be crucial to the resolution of crime. So far, with the help of private CCTV, a total of 522 cases have been resolved using government CCTV cameras and 75 cases have been resolved.
Police have also deployed drones from the city to curb illegal activities, the commissioner said. “We currently have seven drones and will acquire another 50 times as soon as possible. There are 2,700 police officers in the area and our goal is to let everyone learn drone operations so that there are 2 drones at each station.”
The commissioner added that 30-40 officials are trained by professionals every day. These drones are being deployed in traffic signals to register for violations.
It is worth noting that the Associated Press recently directed DGP to develop detailed plans to ensure that CCTV cameras at all police departments across the state operate.
The courts of Judicial Judges Raghunanandan Rao and Manmadha Rao issued the orders following a public interest litigation case, listing non-compliance with the 2015 Supreme Court directive requiring the installation of CCTV in police stations and prisons. DGP must submit a comprehensive report on the implementation plan by June 17, 2025.
