In what is being tipped as a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country,all police stations in Surat city will soon be equipped with CCTV cameras to keep a watch on a police force increasingly facing complaints of ill-treatment as well as undue financial dealings. Four CCTV cameras were installed as part of a pilot project at the Varachha police station on Tuesday. The cameras were installed near the Police Station Operator,the cell,on the police station gates and even outside to monitor all the activities around the police station. For now,the monitoring would be done by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Siddharth Khatri. Eventually,the network of CCTVs across the 25 police stations in the city will be monitored by the Police Commissionerate. City Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said: We regularly come across complaints that police do not behave properly with complainants,while some criminals get a better treatment. So to keep a tab on the activities in police stations,we have attempted this. After monitoring,it will be easy to know who is at fault. This will help us to fill the gap between police and public, Asthana added. Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Shrivastav said: The motive behind the project is to keep an eye on the police officials and even what activities are going on in the police station. It will also monitor how criminals are being treated in the police stations.
