New Delhi: The neglected condition of CCTV cameras in the city is surprising given the fact that they have assisted police in almost 3/4th of the cases solved by them in recent times. CCTV footage has proved useful not only in criminal cases, but also in accident and hit-and-run cases.Last month, the investigation relied entirely on CCTV imagery to resolve the case of an Army major killing a colleague’s wife. CCTV not only helped avert the escape of the accused Army officer, but also became a crucial piece of evidence as it established the presence of the accused at places associated with the crime, including the site of the murder.Many incidents, like the hit-and-run case at Civil Lines and the murder of a woman in Burari last year, would have remained unsolved had it not been for the presence of CCTV cameras in the area. A case of molestation of a journalist at the ITO metro station too was solved with the help of security video.A senior officer confirmed that CCTV not only bolstered evidence, but also deterred criminals. “Thieves have admitted during interrogation that they often skip a particular area if they spot a CCTV camera, particularly if they are not donning masks. In areas without cameras, we need to deploy more men or activate the eyes-and-ears schemes for surveillance.”At present, only the cameras installed by Delhi Police are monitored at Police Headquarters. Many officers feel that the monitoring of CCTV network should be brought under a single umbrella to boost crime fighting. In this regard, the committee formed by the LG to go into Delhi’s government’s plan to install CCTV across the city recommended that individuals adopting CCTVs should inform the DCP (licensing) so that local beat officers learn about the location of cameras in their areas.Many cops TOI spoke to agreed that commercial spaces and stores should be required to put up CCTVs. The policemen cited the Andhra Pradesh Public Safety Act of 2013 under which any establishment with a daily footfall of over 100 people was required by law to install CCTVs and inform the cops. “Failure to do so attracts prosecution,” one officer said.Cops, however, concede that not all CCTV footage is of good enough quality to identify people at a crime scene. Low-resolution CCTVs can at best provide proof of incidents, especially if they occur at night. Cameras at market places, for instance, do not usually capture images clearly.Miscreants do take advantage of this shortcoming. Many of them cover their faces with helmets or scarves during the criminal act. “The only solution is to put up more cameras. At some point or the other, a criminal is bound to remove the face cover and be captured as such by cameras away from the crime scene,” a police inspector pointed out. “Moreover, positive identification can be made through clues like clothing, bags and vehicles used after comparison with footage from the crime scenes.”

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