Panicked by the recent terror incidents across the country, people and organisations are now taking precautions, especially installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at residences and shops for surveillance.
Surveillance equipment businessmen said many government offices, banks and mosques are also buying CCTV cameras and other such monitoring devices.
Imams at some mosques in the capital sought financial assistance from devotees to buy CCTV cameras. Such an appeal was made at the New Market mosque after the Jumma prayers last Friday.
In the wake of the latest law and order situation, owners of different buildings have decided to appoint security guards to ensure safety.
Sohel Talukder, owner of a 10-storey building at Lakshmibazar, told the Dhaka Tribune that they decided to install CCTV cameras as criminal activities had risen up sharply recently.
Even law enforcers are encouraging people to set up CCTV cameras. Police chief AKM Shahidul Haque have said on several occasions that it is difficult to ensure security of every citizen only with the help of the police force. Everyone should come forward to tackle crimes.
Apart from the government and the police’s efforts to bring city streets under CCTV coverage, Shahidul suggests that people install CCTV cameras at their houses and shops on their own.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told the Dhaka Tribune that they had taken steps to set up CCTV cameras at major points in divisional cities.
Moreover, the DMP authorities are now checking and repairing CCTV cameras installed long ago. If a building or other establishment has a CCTV camera, the law enforcers would be able to identify the criminals after an incident nearby.
Meanwhile, the demand for CCTV cameras has significantly risen in the capital as well as in some other districts, market insiders have said.
“We have found that the demand for CCTV cameras has risen sharply – by 30-40% from any other time,” said Arifuzzaman Biplob, general manager of Ryans Computer at the IDB computer market at Agargaon.
He said most consumers are looking for HD cameras as these can cover 30-70 metres as opposed to ordinary cameras that can cover up to 20 metres.
“Moreover, HD cameras work better in night mode,” Biplob told the Dhaka Tribune.
Mehedi Hasan Jony, senior executive for sales and marketing of Excel technologies Ltd, said there was no supply crisis of CCTV cameras in the market. So, people can buy CCTV cameras at cheaper rates.
He suggested that buyers should check the video quality of these devices before buying and installing them.
Saddam Hossain, manager (marketing) of Digital Camera Mart at Baitul Mukarram Market, said: “It seems that people have become very worried about security these days. We have got orders from outside the capital too.”
