THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Don’t be surprised if you see a policeman with a camera snapping pictures on the roadside. He, in fact, is not enjoying some free time during duty hours, but taking pictures of those who violate laws. Cops in the city have started using digital cameras to catch violators of law in a more effective way. The cameras which were earlier given to all police stations and Circle Inspector offices in the city had their active use from Monday onwards. The move proved timely as 300 persons were caught on camera in various parts of the city on Monday itself. They included those who rode without helmet, those who used mobile phones while driving etc.“The cameras were given earlier and were being used by the Shadow Police. Police also were using the cameras to take pictures of vehicles parked in non-parking areas. But we took a decision for the effective use of cameras by all police stations to capture all kinds of offences. We are diversifying their use. Our prime aim is to implement the helmet rule more strictly,” said City Police Commissioner T J Jose.“The move has indeed proved effective. It has the same advantage of surveillance cameras since the cops would not stop those who violate the law, but can catch them without wasting the time of both the parties,” he added. Cases would be registered against the violators according to the gravity of the offences and the persons would be intimated about it. “No one can deny the offence as the evidence would be accurate,” said Jose.It is easy to get the address of those against whom cases are registered. The registration number of vehicles shown in the pictures taken makes it easy to obtain the address from the website of the Motor Vehicles Department.Now, the cameras are used by the Traffic Police, Special Branch and City Police. Police personnel, be it a Circle Inspector or a Sub Inspector or a Civil Police Officer, can use the cameras.The results of the very first day of the ‘camera operation’ have made the City Police enthusiastic and they feel that it could very well curtail the violations of law.At present, the surveillance cameras installed at various traffic signal points catch around 250 persons a day and the routine checks by the police lead to the booking of another 150 persons. All these together are expected to help the cops to bring down the number of offences and the City Police are planning to buy more cameras to make them available in all police stations in the city limits.
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