In a major push to tighten city surveillance, Bengaluru police are working to wipe out CCTV blind spots and ensure every public camera is geotagged for faster crime detection. Police Commissioner B Dayananda has tasked DCPs across all eight city divisions to pinpoint areas lacking adequate surveillance — especially spots where crimes occurred without camera evidence.

Leveraging data from the Mobile Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (MCCTNS), along with records from the 112 helpline, the police are mapping crime-prone zones against existing camera coverage. This beat-wise analysis has already highlighted significant surveillance gaps.

To bridge them, efforts are underway to boost the number of CCTV installations. The focus extends beyond public sector cameras — private establishments, homes, and NGOs are being looped in to geotag outward-facing cameras too. This collaborative effort ensures wider visual coverage and multiple viewing angles.

The initiative builds on the Karnataka Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act, 2017, which mandates CCTVs in high-footfall public places like schools, malls, hospitals, and commercial hubs, with footage preserved for 30 days.

Currently, 7,500 AI-powered cameras under the ₹667-crore Bengaluru Safe City Project, along with nearly 3.5 lakh privately installed cameras, are being geotagged systematically.

Senior officials stress that this digital tagging simplifies investigations. When an incident occurs, police can instantly pull up the MCCTNS database, identify nearby cameras, and retrieve crucial footage without delay — saving valuable time and boosting crime-solving efficiency.

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