BENGALURU: As many as 50 traffic policemen in the city have started using GPS-enabled body-worn cameras while on duty.
The move is expected to reduce the number of complaints against traffic cops for allegedly slapping false cases on motorists. This is also to record cases of unruly motorists who refuse to accept that he/she violated traffic rules or who falsely allege that policemen are demanding bribes.
Officials say 50 traffic policemen in the Central Business District now have body-worn cameras that weigh less than 150gm. The cameras can record traffic violations and conversations in high-quality video and audio for up to 10 hours.
Additional Police Commissioner R Hithendra said, “We are planning to procure additional body-worn cameras based on the response to this pilot project. We have also trained the police personnel to use these cameras.”
He said these cameras will mainly be used to book drunken driving and parking violation cases. “In some cases, drunk motorists argue with policemen for booking cases, especially during the night. Such cases will be recorded and this will be used as evidence.”
The traffic police can also use the video recordings as evidence if there is an allegation about issuing wrong challans to motorists or police personnel misbehaving.
Many motorists welcomed the move. “It’s a good step to ensure transparency. Many motorists do receive false challans because some traffic policemen wrongly enter the registration number of vehicles,” said Sree Kumar, a motorist from Shivajinagar.
However, some are sceptical. “It’s inappropriate to film people without consideration for their privacy. There are chances of such videos getting leaked online,” said S Bhuvaneswari, a resident of JP Nagar.
While many metros in the country have been using body cams for several years, Bengaluru traffic police are introducing it only now. For instance, in June last year, Cyberabad Traffic Police launched eye cameras that are worn as goggles and can capture pictures of traffic offenders. But Bengaluru traffic police officials said they don’t have any plans to procure eye cameras as of now.