Surveillance camera deployed in Dhaka Road

by Hamidur on Saturday, May 23, 2009

If you have seen anything like this when you crossed through streets of Dhaka in last few days, don’t be confused. If you thought that a new set of lucrative street lamps are installed, you are wrong. Actually when you looked at it, it might also examining you for any kinds of suspicion. Because it is a CCTV camera. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police decided to install the digital surveillance system for traffic management and crime control, setting up a unified control room. As a result, number of cameras is installed at Mohakhali, Nabisco mor, Shat Rasta mor, Karwanbazar and other important places.

The lamp shaped Black unit is the camera; the white box on top of it contains the power/ supporting units and topmost white unit is the wireless radio to connect the camera with a base station which is again connected to the control room. Wireless Network is done by Motorola Canopy AP-SM (Access point – Subscriber module) system. Motorola uses the ideal technology for making delivery of high-demand technologies like internet access, voice over IP, video services, and security surveillance much quicker and much less expensive. Canopy has been widely used in Bangladesh for past few years by wireless ISP’s for providing Last Mile solution. Initially Banglalink, one of the GSM operators, also used canopy for backbone connectivity to their base stations which were later replaced by Microwave and optical fiber.

The government in November, 2006 issued work order of Tk 26 crore to Folec Communications (B) Sdn Bhd of Brunei Darussalam and the work was scheduled to be completed by June, 2007. But due to several difficulties, deployment delayed. As per the work order, a total of 155 CCTV cameras will be set up at 59 traffic crossings, including the entrance and exit points of the Dhaka city to facilitate constant surveillance of the happenings, and there will be message boards at 31 spots on the roads to divert traffic movement. In case of any emergency, like VIP movement and traffic congestion, instructions will be sent through the boards.

The photographs taken by the CCTV cameras will be monitored in 35 panels in the control room by a group of professionals. The monitoring officers will be imparted training in this regard. The recording capacity of the cameras is unlimited. Once the DMP control room is modernized, it will be easier for the police to act promptly to combat crimes, and also maintain discipline and control vehicular movement smoothly.

The digital data-base map will bring the entire metropolis under a network that will help locate and communicate with the forces on the ground. With the four-channel wireless, law enforcers will be able to communicate with other forces like the Rapid Action Battalion or intelligence agencies, which will enable them to maintain a successful coordination among them.