CCTVs help surveillance,will deter crime too: cops The arrest of a highly educated couple on charges of stealing ornaments from two jewellery shops was the latest instance of police cracking a case using CCTV footage. Police now insist on installation of cameras at points where surveillance is needed as these devices act as a deterrent as well. Rajesh Bansode,deputy commissioner of police (crime),said they had of late cracked some important cases using CCTV footage. These cameras give you images that cover a large viewing angle. Even a glimpse of the suspect or suspicious movement can prove important in crime detection; it can be used as evidence after the authenticity of the video is verified. He said the CCTV systems installed in malls or commercial centres proved helpful as centralised control units. Less number of people can be watched in a large area. The presence of CCTV camera is also a deterrent for criminals. Police had,a few months ago,urged jewellery shop owners to install cameras after there was a rise in number of heists. Besides jewellery shop owners,we had also asked petrol pump managements to bring their premises under closed circuit surveillance as they have a lot of cash and above all huge storage of fuels. The members of Sainath Mandal Trust that manages a Sai Temple on Bhau Rangari Road had,on July 31,nabbed a person who attempted to break into the temple the previous night and handed him over to police. Trust chairman Amar Hireshikhar said,Some members saw him in the dark trying to break into the temple,but could not nab him. Next morning,we took out the CCTV footage,got his clear photo prints and distributed them among some of our trusted neighbours. One rickshaw driver spotted him in the afternoon. We nabbed him and handed him over to the police. The suspect turned out to be a notorious thief involved in seven to eight heists,including the one at Shrimant Peshwe Ganpati Temple near Shaniwar Wada two weeks ago.
