BENGALURU: As a part of the Bengaluru Safe City Project, the Bengaluru City Police, in association with Honeywell, have set up cameras across the city to ensure real-time monitoring. In this regard, ‘Safety Islands’ were also propped up to ensure the safety of women and girls.
The project is currently underway in two planned phases. The first phase was launched in March, wherein 4,100 cameras were set up, while the islands were installed where citizens could contact the Police Command Centre at a moment’s notice.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Command Centre) Ravindra K Gadadi said to TNIE, “All islands are currently functional, save for two which got damaged. In the first phase, 30 islands were set up within police station limits across Bengaluru. Meanwhile, in the second phase, 20 islands are expected to come up.”
The islands, or kiosks, are hardwired to contact 112, the Emergency Response Support System, at the push of a panic button. The kiosks are well-lit and fitted with cameras and other surveillance tech to monitor the situation of the person using the kiosk to ensure their safety. According to city police, special care has been taken to install the kiosks in vulnerable areas like slums and bus stops.
The project is slated to be complete by September, wherein a total of 7,000 cameras will be set up across 3,000 locations in the city. Apart from cameras and islands, the project also includes viewing centres, drone cameras, two command centres and one data centre.