Chittagong Metropolitan Police has taken a decision to bring entire port city under the surveillance of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras with a view to reducing crimes and ensuring public safety.
The CMP authorities took the decision against the backdrop of recent murders of two foreign nationals and bomb attacks on Shia Muslim community on the eve of Ashura.
The decision was taken at a meeting held at CMP’s headquarter on Sunday. With CMP Commissioner Abdul Jalil Mondal in the chair, the monthly meeting was attended by all high-ups and officer-in-charge of 16 police stations of the port city.
Sources at the CMP said the CCTV cameras would be installed at entrances, exit points, inter-sections and all important places in the port city.
The initiative of setting up CCTV cameras in the commercial capital was launched in June last year in order to combat criminal activities such as forced disappearance, abduction, mugging, snatching, arson attacks and subversive acts.
“The CMP commissioner has asked all the OCs of the 16 police stations to make sure that CCTV cameras are installed in all strategic points,” said Assistant Commissioner (Port) of Detective Branch of CMP ABM Foyzul Islam.
“Criminals usually think twice before committing a crime because of the presence of CCTV cameras. For instance, the motorcycle lifting in the city has reduced to a large extent after the installation of cameras. Apart from this, the CCTV cameras helped a great deal to investigate some sensational crimes in the last one year,” added Foyzul.
“People on their own should set up cameras in the banks, residences, shops and educational institutes,” Babul Akter, CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner.
There are now a total of 99 CCTV cameras are operational installed at 26 strategic points.
A highly secured room in the CMP headquarters in the city’s Laldighi area is used for monitoring of the CCTVs all the time. A team of highly trained operators are keeping their vigilant eyes on the TV screens nonstop. Police high-ups and officials have the access to the video footage through their Android smartphones by using the IP number and password of the related server. The CCTV cameras are connected to an underground cable network through the monitors of a central server station, said the CMP sources.
