Police Up the Ante on Tech to Make Lucknow Safer

Smart surveillance system includes setting up CCTV cameras, drones

Lucknow has started deploying a smart surveillance system with integrated cameras and drones as part of an initiative to make the Uttar Pradesh capital safer. Mahindra Defence Systems and Cisco Systems are putting the project together under a `. 40 crore contract.UP government officials said they expect to install 10,000 cameras across Lucknow over the next one year. The project was launched on Sunday, when the state police demonstrated drones that can be used to shower pepper powder on an unruly mob. Five such drones will be launched later this month for crowd control and they will have a range of up to 600 meters.

The surveillance project currently covers 70 crossings where the police have installed 280 cameras, Mukul Goel, additional director general for law and order, told ET. “This would be helpful in nabbing criminals, defying them and taking action against them.This will also be very useful in managing traffic violations.“ The cameras are capable of automatic number-plate recognition based on Infrared technology, which has helped issue electronic challans to more than 500 traffic offenders on the day of the launch. Goel said this would have been impossible previously for lack of enough traffic policemen on the roads.

UP police are now integrating CCTV cameras installed by commercial establishments with the smart surveillance system to ensure the entire city is covered without excessive financial pressure on the government. Mobile surveillance vans equipped with night vision cameras have also been deployed as a part of the project and the cameras can extend up to three metres over the vehicle to capture members of a violent mob.

“We have encouraged businesses to setup CCTV cameras and more than 1,000 are already in place. By the end of this year, we should be looking at 10,000 cameras in the city,“ Goel said. He said Reliance Jio Infocomm will set up 1,000 CCTV cameras free of cost in Lucknow as a part of its commitment to the government in lieu of providing it land for setting up 4G network towers.

Post the 2008 Mumbai attacks, authorities have increased their focus on city surveillance. Cisco already has implemented a similar project in Navi Mumbai. The company is carrying out another five smart surveillance projects.

Smart security surveillance is now one of the fastest growing businesses for Cisco in India, said Puneet Gupta, managing director (enterprise and public sector) at its India and Saarc unit.

Source: The Economic Times