Bengaluru To Install AI-Powered CCTVs For Women’s Safety

In the wake of rising crimes in Bengaluru, the state government has decided to install 10,000 Artificial Intelligence-powered CCTV cameras across the state. The measure follows the Union women and child development ministry allocating Rs 667 crore for Bengaluru under the Nirbhaya fund.

The central government has selected eight cities, including Bengaluru, as part of its ‘safe city’ plan. The other cities are Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. The aim is to provide safety for women in public spaces and transport systems in these cities.

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The proposal is to install the cameras at 4,522 junctions in Bengaluru and the remaining on the main roads which totally will cover a distance of 2,714 km. The cameras are equipped with features that can observe and react to human behaviour. For instance, it will tell about the number of people who cross a particular street every day at a particular hour. If it notices a stark difference in the number of people, then it will mark this as an anomaly and report it immediately.

The proposal also suggests surveillance at public places, placement of NGO volunteers at women’s helpdesk in police stations. It proposes critical care response units at leading hospitals, women police outposts and creating safety islands at vulnerable places. Apart from these, it recommends introduction of Rani Channamma teams of women to sensitize the public.

“The ministry sanctioned these proposals for a period of three years on a cost sharing basis of 60:40 ratio with states,” said a senior official from the WCD ministry

City police commissioner Suneel Kumar T has also recommended some steps for women’s safety.

Bengaluru has reported an increase in crimes against women in the past three years. According to Bengaluru City Police, in 2017, it reported 2,623 crimes against women. It included rape (133), molestation (976), cruelty by husband or relatives of husband (491), dowry (730) etc. In 2016, 2,345 cases and in 2015, it reported 2,370 cases.

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