Over 5 lakh CCTV cameras in Bengaluru city geo-tagged, to act as ‘eyes and ears of police' for crime detection
The Bengaluru police have geo-tagged 5.35 lakh public and private CCTV cameras in the city as part of their digital policing efforts and for speedy responses to crimes in the city.
The number of CCTV cameras has increased by over three lakh in the past 15 months.
'In order to strengthen public security and control crime in Bangalore city, the Mobile Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (MCCTNS) has been geo-tagging CCTV cameras in the city.
According to MCCTNS data, a total of 5.35,815 CCTV cameras have been geo-tagged in Bengaluru city till April 30, 2025,' the Bengaluru police said in a statement this week.
According to data from the MCCTNS portal, the CCTV cameras are installed in residential areas, commercial centers, highways, traffic signals, educational institutions, hospitals, banks and other important places.
The cameras will be used for crime investigations apart from surveillance work, the police said.
'Last year in January, that is January 2024, we collected information of the presence of a total of 2,32,711 CCTV cameras in public places in the city. Subsequently we undertook a task of increasing the number of CCTV cameras to five lakh in the city. Now we have over five lakh cameras in Bengaluru,' Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda said this week.
He added that the force has added 3,03,104 cameras since January 2024.
'These cameras are very useful for policing in the city. They act as the eyes and ears of the police department. They help us understand the situation when any incident occurs in the city. These cameras have been installed under various initiatives,' Dayananda said.
The cameras have been installed under the Public Safety Act, where commercial establishments have been mandated to install cameras, under the Safe City project of the police.
'We have also given directions to small enterprises like teashops to install cameras. All these cameras contribute to safety in the city, for smart patrolling and for digital means of ensuring security,' the Bengaluru police commissioner said.
'All these five lakh cameras have been geotagged and mapped with our MCCTNS portal. When an incident happens, we get the information about the number of cameras present around the scene and the contacts of the users of the cameras,' the city police chief said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
12 hours ago
- The Print
Ex-IPS officers write to Siddaramaiah, say Bengaluru police chief & cops ‘made fall guys' for stampede
The signatories included D.R. Kaarthikeyan, former CBI director; G.B.S. Sidhu, former special secretary, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW); C.D. Sahay, former secretary, Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW); B.C. Nayak, former special director, Intelligence Bureau; and several others, including former DGPs of Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In the letter dated 8 June, they said the senior police officers were made the 'fall guys' while those who contributed to the tragedy managed to get away. Bengaluru: At least 30 retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officers shot off a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Sunday, urging him to revoke the suspension of five senior police officers over the 4 June stampede outside Chinnaswamy stadium, where thousands had gathered to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL win. The five officers from Karnataka, including Bengaluru city Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, were suspended for 'dereliction of duty' that led to the stampede in which 11 people were killed. 'In your initial statements, Sir, you had rightly stated that the sudden surge of two/three lakh people at the venue which could accommodate only 35,000 people was the reason for the stampede. However, senior police officers including the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, who has an unblemished record of service and integrity, have been suspended,' read the letter. Adding, 'They were made the fall guys. There is a general impression that the police officers have been victimised while those, whose haste, over-enthusiasm, and reluctance to take a stand, contributed to the tragedy have managed to get away.' The letter added to the growing outpouring of support for the suspended police officers, especially Dayananda. A 1994-batch IPS officer, Dayananda is known as a soft-spoken policeman who commands the respect of his force. The internet is flooded with posts lauding Dayananda's work ethic and dedication as civil society continues to rally behind the IPS officer and pressure the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government to reinstate him. A day after Dayananda was suspended, a police constable was photographed walking with a photo of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and a black arm band to protest the decision. At least three former Bengaluru City police commissioners have come on record, hitting out against the government for holding only law enforcement officers responsible for the tragedy while absolving all others, including the political class, of any wrongdoing. 'He is the hardest-working officer I know. Even the government knows this but sacrificed him to save themselves,' said one police officer, requesting anonymity. Since the incident, several letters and disclosures have surfaced suggesting that multiple police officers had warned the state government against holding victory celebrations for RCB's maiden IPL championship win in 18 years. The Indian Police Foundation, a pan-India multi-disciplinary think tank dedicated to working for police reform, said Monday that the suspension of the police officers before the completion of a detailed investigation 'has raised serious concerns within the professional policing community across the country'. It added that establishing individual responsibility would be seen as 'scapegoating rather than principled accountability', which would have a demoralising effect on the entire force. Also read: Police letter warned govt of security risk at Vidhana Soudha RCB event, hrs before Chinnaswamy stampede Officer approaches CAT The stampede, in which 11 people died and dozens were injured, prompted Siddaramaiah to suspend the five officers: Commissioner B. Dayananda; Vikash Kumar Vikash, additional commissioner of police (ACP) (West); Shekar H. Tekkannavar, DCP (Central); C. Balakrishna, ACP (Cubbon Park); and A.K Girish, Cubbon Park inspector. The suspension letter said the police commissioner's office 'failed to give written reply to the organizers, rejecting the permission on the grounds of lack of time to prepare for such a huge event'. Siddaramaiah also sacked his political secretary and aide, K. Govindaraj, and transferred the state intelligence chief, Hemant Nimbalkar. On Monday, Vikash approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), appealing the suspension. There is also anger against the new Karnataka Director-General and Inspector-General of Police (DG & IGP) M.A. Saleem for not opposing the government on the suspensions. 'The DG & IGP position is that of a father. He has service left but will have to serve it without the respect of the force,' said another police officer, also requesting anonymity. Dayananda, a native of Ranebennur in Karnataka, was posted as an ACP in Puttur in the Dakshina Kannada district in 1998. He later went on to serve as superintendent of police in various districts, including Dakshina Kannada, Kolar, Chitradurga, Belagavi, and Vijayapura districts until 2008. He then served in various capacities in cities like Mysuru and Bengaluru. He is also the longest-serving state intelligence chief and held that position from 2016 until 2023, when he took over as Bengaluru city police commissioner. He served as the head of intelligence under various chief ministers, including two terms of Siddaramaiah, H.D. Kumaraswamy, B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai. Known for his passion for technology, he started the practice of police officers having to wear body cameras at all times. Though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has in the past accused the police of siding with the government and targeting Hindu activists, several leaders from the Opposition have backed Dayananda and other suspended officers to corner Siddaramaiah. 'You are targeting the police. We thought all you (Siddaramaiah) did was break the Hindu society by breaking society on caste lines. But we did not know that you were also against the police,' former BJP MP Prathap Simha told reporters Monday. Dubbing Siddaramaiah as 'anti-police', he went on to say that the chief minister was protecting those he considered close to him and instead going after the police. 'Our police department is among the most efficient, you are insulting them and calling them unfit. It is you and your government that is unfit,' Simha said. (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also read: RCB stampede shows our cities aren't equipped for mass euphoria and celebration
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru stampede: IPS body demand revocation of suspension of 5 cops
The Indian Police Foundation and a collective of retired senior IPS officers from across the country have come out strongly in support of former Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, who was suspended along with four other officers in the wake of the tragic stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 people dead. In two separate but coordinated open letters, that became public on Monday, addressed to chief minister Siddaramaiah, the signatories — comprising former DGPs, CBI chiefs, NSG heads, and senior bureaucrats — have questioned the rationale behind suspending top police officials before the completion of a judicial inquiry. The letters argued that the responsibility for the June 4 incident lies more with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) management and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), who allegedly insisted on immediate post-victory celebrations despite police warnings. 'It transpires from public statements and available information that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru... wanted a grand celebration of RCB's victory after 18 years in the IPL,' reads the first letter, issued by the Indian Police Foundation on June 8. It cites the police's prior objections to hosting the event just hours after the team's return from Ahmedabad, saying, 'The police officials had conveyed in writing and otherwise about the danger of acceding to the request.' The foundation condemned what it called 'haste' in organising the parade without sufficient crowd control measures. It pointed out that the police, from station-level officers to the Commissioner himself, had flagged serious concerns about preparing for the large turnout expected. A separate letter dated June 3 from the same foundation stressed that suspending officers without waiting for judicial findings would be seen as scapegoating. 'To isolate the police for punitive action, while other stakeholders escape scrutiny, distorts the reality of shared responsibility,' the letter stated, adding that it 'undermines institutional integrity' and could demoralise the police force. The retired officers further criticised what they called the government's tacit support of the event, noting that 'no written directions were given to the police overruling their objections'. They blamed the organisers for going ahead with the parade, offering free passes and encouraging fans to flood the venue despite capacity limitations. In a sharply worded observation, the letter said, 'There is a general impression that the police officers have been victimized while those, whose haste, over-enthusiasm, and reluctance to take a stand, contributed to the tragedy, have managed to get away.' The foundation has called for the reinstatement of all five suspended officers, including Dayananda, pending the outcome of the judicial inquiry, which is expected to conclude within a month. 'Disciplinary action, if warranted, should follow from the findings, and not precede them,' the letters stated. To assist the state government in learning from the incident, the foundation has offered to conduct an independent post-incident review, not aimed at fault-finding but at identifying systemic gaps and improving public safety protocols. The letters have been signed by over 30 decorated former IPS officers and experts, including Prakash Singh (former DGP UP and Assam), RS Mooshahary (former Governor of Meghalaya), and Ajit Doval's former colleagues in central agencies, giving the appeal added weight.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Bengaluru stampede: ‘Action against police looks like scapegoating,' Indian Police Foundation tells Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
The Indian Police Foundation (IPF) – a group representing retired police personnel – has asked the Karnataka government to reinstate the police officers who have been suspended in the wake of the Bengaluru stampede. Eleven people died after a stampede occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the Karnataka capital during the victory celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL). In a letter addressed to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, the IPF stated, 'The suspension of five police officers, including the Commissioner of Police, prior to the completion of a detailed investigation, has raised serious concerns within the professional policing community across the country. Actions taken without establishing individual responsibility would be seen as scapegoating rather than principled accountability and may have a demoralising effect on the entire police force, while undermining institutional integrity.' 'In the spirit of constructive engagement, the Indian Police Foundation offers to support the Government by conducting a Post-Incident Review and Analysis. This would be a non-adversarial, independent exercise, not intended for fault-finding, but focused on identifying systemic gaps, good practices, and actionable lessons to guide police operations and training. The IPF has in its membership a distinguished team of former DGPs, former civil servants, senior police leaders, forensic scientists, public safety experts, and academics who can undertake this exercise with neutrality, sensitivity, and professionalism,' the letter added. A day after the Bengaluru stampede, the state government had suspended Bengaluru Commissioner of Police B Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Vikash Kumar Vikash, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shekhar H Tekkannavar, ACP (Cubbon Park sub-division) C Balakrishna, and police inspector Girish A K on Thursday. Besides the Opposition, social media users have also flooded the government with requests to reinstate Dayananda.
